In just a few more days, President Trump will leave the Oval Office and will pass the baton to Joe Biden. Despite Trump's promises of a peaceful transfer of power, however, the people working for inauguration day are working to make sure they have everything under control.
According to One America News Network, the nation's capitol in Washington D.C. has been placed on lockdown ahead of inauguration day, scheduled on Jan. 20, Tuesday.
D.C. seemingly looks like a ghost town, with businesses closed and boarded up and people nowhere on the streets. Gates and barriers can be found in various places, particularly in the National Mall - a 2-mile span between the U.S. Capitol and Lincoln Memorial. This area, which has, historically, teemed with crowds especially on inauguration day, is sadly empty and with nary a kid running around.
"'Stay home' - that is the message from Biden's Presidential Inaugural Committee and the mayor of Washington D.C. ahead inauguration day," OANN's Jenn Pellegrino said.
The businesses that normally benefit from the huge crowds that come to witness the inauguration of new Presidents will not be able to enjoy the same perks they did as they used to, as the National Mall is closed to the public.
Restaurants that normally serve customers on inauguration day will not be offering any indoor dining services to people as they have been prohibited from doing so. Popular vacation rental service Airbnb will also block and cancel reservations for the days surrounding inauguration day.
While some hotels remain open, they cannot expect to see lots of people come over from other places since parking garages will also be locked down, in addition to the many barricades that have already been set in place ahead of Jan. 20.
Those who think that this kind of preparation is too much will be surprised to know that these aren't the only things Biden's committee and the mayor of D.C. is demanding that people do for the long-time politician's inauguration.
Pellegrino said that according to D.C. residents, they were told to get supplies as early as possible before inauguration day. To quote,
"Now if you're a D.C. resident, you are really out of luck. Residents have reported receiving notes notices to stock up on food, and that their mail, package deliveries and trash pickup are all on hold until Friday, Jan. 24th."
This sounds like the lives of D.C. residents will be placed on hold for the week.
Also, those who live in D.C. and have vehicles and are hoping to witness Biden's inauguration will not be able to park their vehicles in parking garages as well.
In addition to all the lockdowns and the barriers and boarded-up businesses, the inauguration will also be kept secure by tens of thousands of armed men. To quote Pellegrino,
"Up to 20,000 members of the National Guard will be deployed across the nation's Capitol in an extraordinary measure to ensure law and order, and a peaceful transition of power."
A bit too much?
It's important to note that the preparations, which Pellegrino called an "extraordinary measure," seem to be too much if President Trump's promises -which he tends to fulfill- are considered.
Earlier, the President of the United States released a video where he condemned violence.
"Whether you are on the right or the left, a Democrat or a Republican, there is never a justification for violence. No excuses, no exceptions," President Trump said. "America is a nation of laws. Those who engaged in the attacks last week will be brought to justice."
He then proceeded to explain that those who support him and his agenda to make America great again will not resort to violence.
"Mob violence goes against everything I believe in and everything our movement stands for. No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement or our great American flag. No true supporter of mine could ever threaten or harass their fellow Americans."
Nevertheless, the President himself wants to make sure there will be a peaceful transfer of power, showing his respect and obedience to the rule of law. This he said despite not conceding especially amid the tons of evidence proving the election was rigged and stolen in favor of the former vice president.
"I have directed federal agencies to use all necessary resources to maintain order. In Washington DC, we are bringing in thousands of National Guard members to secure the city and ensure that a transition can occur safely and without incident," he said.
It's important to note that President Trump didn't specifically call for lockdowns and issued demands to make residents stock up on food.
