Republicans in DC celebrate Trump, first responders
WASHINGTON — Nothing was going to stop a handful of Butler County Republicans from making it to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration — especially with Butler’s first responders in a prominent spotlight.
The snow-covered lanes of Route 8 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike didn’t slow them down, nor did the pit stops in 20-degree temperatures at the South Somerset rest stop and in Frederick, Md., with icy parking lots. Washington was frigid on Monday, with wind chills in the single digits.
Inconveniences did not get in the way, like the Washington metro rail layout and schedule, as well as general bag confusion around the gate to enter the arena.
Yet, the Butler County Republicans, organized by Cindy Hilderbrand, the United Republicans of Butler County’s chairwoman, got on the red line at 5 a.m., arrived in D.C. around 6 a.m., and spent about the next 10 hours celebrating the 47th president, with Butler’s first responders playing an important role.
“You normally don’t get to vote for somebody three times in a row,” Tammy Bowser, of Chicora, said triumphantly.
Several police officers said that, while Capitol One Arena only holds 20,000 for a basketball game, anybody who had pre-purchased tickets for the original event on Capitol grounds could get in line. Lines wrapped around the building. Around six blocks of streets were blocked off each way. Around 12 streets near the arena were closed down, blocked by city and military vehicles.
While some got into Capitol One Arena, a majority stood out in the streets during the swearing-in ceremony, either watching on their phones or on a big screen at the top of the arena. Aside from navigating protesters, they more or less celebrated like a big party.
At the inauguration parade, which took place entirely inside the arena this year, the first responders honored Corey Comperatore, the Buffalo Township firefighter killed at the July 13 Trump rally shooting, by marching with his firefighter’s jacket
“We are so very proud of our hometown first responders,” Bowser said.
Bowser, along with several others who made the trip, have seen multiple Trump rallies over the years, including in Butler County in October 2020, the July 13 rally and when Trump returned in October.
Bowser never thought a president would visit a small town like Butler so many times, and she was glad she got to “visit his town now.”
For the Butler Republicans, this was a full-circle moment. Bernice Yockey and Linda Costanzo remember the first responders who spoke at the October Trump rally, and how dedicated they have been to the Butler community.
“The nurse that spoke at the second rally, she was just so excellent,” Yockey said. “Excellent. You could tell that her heart is in her work and she had the opportunity to take care of the tragedy.”
Local residents — like Bowser, Yockey and Costanzo — were present at the Trump rally shooting. They know local officials who were also present. They have been living with that for some time.
“People do react, when you say you’re from Butler, they look at you. And if they don’t, I always say to them, ‘well, the sad note is do you know what Butler is known for?’” Costanzo said.
With Butler’s finest honoring one of their own at the 47th president’s inauguration parade, a sense of pride overcame the local residents who made the trip. And they had absolutely no regrets making it.
“We were disappointed that it was canceled, absolutely,” Yockey said. “But I’m here.”
