“They could have zero entertainment at the inauguration, and I really don’t think for one minute that it would matter,” said Leslie Rossi, of Youngstown, Pa., a state that shocked the nation when it switched from blue to red on Election Day.
Rossi, a 46-year-old mother of eight, and her husband, Michael, 51, were so confident Trump was going to win that they booked their rooms in DC last July. The Rossi family own a mechanical testing and research company in Westmoreland County that employs about 200 people. They also own the legendary “Trump House,” a nearly 100-year-old building painted entirely red, white and blue that’s guarded by a 14-foot steel cutout of Trump’s likeness.
“This is about a man and a movement and the people who participated and were inspired by it,” Rossi said. “I suspect the events will reflect that, and that probably works for most people attending.”
Melanie Patterson, a 57-year-old businesswoman from western Pennsylvania, echoes Rossi’s sentiments.
“You know what they say about inaugural balls? You dance with the one who brought you there,” said Patterson, who is attending the swearing-in ceremony with several of her friends. “Donald Trump is dancing and celebrating with the people who put him in the White House. Let Hollywood stay home or take a knee this time around. We will be fine.”
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