Following the chaos at the Capitol on January 6, law enforcement want to make sure a similar riot doesn't happen again. They've stepped up security for Inauguration Day. Around 25,000 National Guardsmen from across the United States at in Washington, D.C. for the event.
The National Mall is shut down to the public. Except for a few lawmakers, no one will be able to attend Wednesday's ceremony.
Many from the Triad went to President Trump's inauguration in 2017, including a group of college students at High Point University. WFMY News 2's Chad Silber joined them, to tell the story through their eyes.
Four years later, we caught up with the professor leading the group and a former student about that trip, and how it compares to now.
"I've been explaining to my friends and family who don't live in the city that it almost feels like we live in a war zone right now...which feels so crazy to say because I never expected to see my city like this," said Lyndsey Clos, a HPU graduate who now lives and works in Washington, D.C.
She may be there now, but Clos had a much different perspective in 2017.
"I was actually looking through some photos from four years ago this morning, and had seen how close we were actually able to be to the Capitol, even the day before," she said.
Clos was part of a group of 12 who attended the inauguration ceremonies, with HPU political science professor, Dr. Brandon Lenoir, four years ago.
"A lot of it was hurry up and wait, but it was all worth it in the end to be able to see the ceremony take place," Lenoir said.
He explained that tight security is a hallmark of inaugural events, but the sheer number of guardsmen this time around, and the distinct lack of people, changes the tone of the day.
"We are in an unprecedented time. The fact is, we have the COVID pandemic plus the problems that took place at the Capitol the prior week," he said, "It's turned what normally is a very festive event into a pretty somber occasion.
"We’re going to have a lot of military presence, and the ability for the average American to go and be a part of the inauguration is being taken away, and that’s sad."
Both Lenoir and Clos hope to attend another inauguration, in-person, someday.
"It encapsulates what it is to be an American," Lenoir said, "It is the peaceful transfer of power and you get to see democracy in action."
