WASHINGTON — Few volunteers in Donald Trump’s campaign had a tougher assignment than Nilam Desai, whose job was to convince her neighbors in deep-blue Boulder that the Republican nominee was the best choice for president.
“It’s a place where — if you don’t agree with how someone thinks or their opinion — you are sort of like an outsider,” Desai said. “It’s the Boulder bubble.”
But Desai said it will be time well spent when she arrives at the National Mall on Friday to watch Trump take the oath and become the nation’s 45th president.
“It’s going to be incredible to see Trump’s work come together,” said Desai, who is traveling to Washington with her husband and daughter. “I’m really looking forward to the swearing-in. I think that’s going to be amazing.”
Desai is among the hundreds of thousands of Trump supporters expected to jam the nation’s capital this weekend for a celebration that will include parties, a parade and plenty of time to catch up with old campaign friends.
Notably missing will be many of the celebrities and bold-faced names that saw Barack Obama take power eight years ago, but Trump supporters see that absence as proof of his appeal to average Americans.
“There are more people here who have never been to an inauguration in their life,” said Patrick Davis, who ran Trump’s campaign in Colorado. “It really is the people’s inauguration.”
Beer magnate Pete Coors, who headlined a high-priced Trump fundraiser last summer, won’t be attending the festivities in Washington.
Unknown is whether former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan will be in town. Campaign staff wasn’t sure, and the two-time Super Bowl champion did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment. Shanahan hosted the summer fundraiser with Coors and stumped on Trump’s behalf when he campaigned at the National Western Complex in Denver.
That isn’t to say that there isn’t a strong Colorado connection to the future halls of power. U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner has an invitation to one of the most exclusive events in town — a 200-person luncheon with Trump in the Capitol immediately after Friday’s ceremony.
It’s a longstanding Washington tradition and Gardner, who recently took the reins as the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, will join members of the U.S. Supreme Court and leaders of both parties in a feast that will feature Maine lobster, chocolate soufflé and plenty of wine.
Not on the menu, however, will be clam chowder — a dish that’s long been served at the meal in Congress’ Statuary Hall but was taken off the list this year.
“I’ve never been before,” said Gardner, who served in the U.S. House before becoming a senator. “Four years ago, I know President (Bill) Clinton was there (and) I think President Bush was there.”
No member of Colorado’s congressional delegation said they would skip the inauguration — though dozens of Democrats in other states said they would. Colorado’s Democrats said they plan to be on hand Friday for Trump’s swearing-in — and then in the streets the next day for the Women’s March on Washington that is attracting thousands of Coloradans, or at a similar march in Denver.
There will be events in Colorado, too. The Denver Republican Party planned an inauguration-watch breakfast at a local restaurant and 65 to 90 people were expected. The Lincoln Club of Colorado sold out tickets to the Colorado Inaugural Ball on Friday night. Several Republican politicians are hosting the formal evening, including State Treasurer Walker Stapleton and Attorney General Cynthia Coffman.
Another prominent Coloradan, state Rep. Clarice Navarro, planned to rub shoulders Thursday night at the chic Mandarin Oriental in black-tie event celebrating Latino culture.
Navarro, who served on Trump’s Hispanic advisory board, is co-hosting the ball and said she hopes some of Pueblo’s famous chiles are offered to guests — maybe as a bruschetta. “We sent it to the chef, and we’ll let him decide how he wants to integrate in the menu,” Navarro said.
While the inaugural festivities will be new to many of the participants, this won’t be the first rodeo for the Freedom Riders, an all-female performance troupe from the Greeley area who drove three days to get to Washington.
The self-described “military ladies horseback group” will be riding in Friday’s inaugural parade — the third time the Freedom Riders have performed at a presidential inauguration. (The others were for Obama in 2009 and for George W. Bush in 2005).
“In this world today, you just want to see everyone pull together. You may like the president — you may not — but it’s about being American,” said rider Lee Barrett, who has been part of the group since 1997 and will be performing this year with her daughter Taleah, 16. “It’s such an honor.”
The end of the inauguration festivities will mark a bittersweet moment for Dustin Olson, a Colorado political operative who has put in long hours to help produce the celebration.
“To have a hand in that is pretty remarkable,” he said. “It’s not going to be a coronation. It will be very much about the American people. I can’t stress that enough. It’s about bringing the inauguration to the American people.”
