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Cal Jillson, Political Science, Trump’s Inauguration Day: beyond the pageantry, after the boycotts

Christian Science Monitor

Originally Posted: January 20, 2017

It’s show time. The bands are tuning up, revelers and protesters alike are ready with their signs and their voices, and Donald Trump – businessman, showman, political maverick – is about to step into the role of a lifetime.

At noon on Friday, Mr. Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, the next stage in a journey as improbable as any in American politics. Just as eight years ago, when Barack Obama carried the hopes of millions into office with him, so too does the larger-than-life Trump.

But the notes of discord are much louder. Political polarization has only grown deeper, and shows no sign of abating. Trump enters office the least popular incoming president in four decades. Large demonstrations threaten to mar a day usually reserved for pomp and pageantry, and often bipartisan fellowship.

The boycott of Trump’s presidential inauguration by more than 60 House Democrats has added to the dissonance. But that is both less and more significant than meets the eye. Less, because lots of members of Congress skip inauguration every four years, for various reasons. And more, because of the meaning Democrats have given the boycott.

“This has become a signature moment of Democratic resistance to Trump as president,” says Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. READ MORE