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WASHINGTON — The presidential inauguration has attracted people from across the political spectrum to the nation’s capital — and even those who aren’t actively involved in the celebrations and demonstrations have something to say about the election and incoming President Donald Trump.
“I know I’m in the minority, but I voted for Trump,” Nate Biviano, a 33-year-old engineer from Reston, Virginia, said as he sipped his beverage at the Number Nine bar on U Street in Washington, D.C. the night before Monday’s inauguration.
Virginia was one of only 20 states Democrat Kamala Harris won in November over Trump.
“He was the first president to stand up and tell the world to decriminalize homosexuality,” said Biviano. “And financially, Trump has been better for my pocketbook than Biden.”
Biviano is in the minority among LGBTQ+ voters. Exit polls showed LGBTQ+ voters overwhelmingly backed Harris over Trump, 86%-12%.
“I was a Democrat before Trump came into office,” Biviano said, “but once Biden came into office, it drove me to vote for Trump.”
Both economic and cultural issues helped fuel Biviano’s switch to the Republican Party.
Trump won the presidential election in November after keeping hold of his core base of voters and slightly expanding his coalition to include several groups traditionally part of the Democratic base, according to Associated Press VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide that shows what issues mattered to voters in this election.
Biviano was drawn by Trump’s experience and policies.
“My dad worked hard to grow his farm and the fact that Trump is a businessman makes me feel like he knows what he’s doing. Also, seeing teen girls in my hometown use abortion as a form of birth control is so irresponsible and Democrats are seemingly encouraging that.”
The presidential inauguration comes at a time when Americans remain as divided as ever over the future of the country. Trump won 50-48% over Harris.
Trump claimed he won a landslide, which is not accurate, but he did receive 2.5 million more votes than he did four years ago and swept the seven key battleground states to easily win the Electoral College, 312-226.becoming the first Republican nominee in 20 years to win a majority of the popular vote, according to AP’s analysis of the votes.
