Its a very cold day in the District of Columbia. The frigid temperatures have prompted the inauguration of Donald Trump and JD Vance to be moved into the US Capitol Rotunda.But thats not all thats changed between this day and Trumps inauguration eight years ago.Trumps Electoral College victory in 2016 shocked many, including the winner himself, according to many of his campaign staffers.Washington DCs elected officials and political insiders, Democrats and Republicans alike, were still reeling in January 2017 as Trump laid his hand on a Bible and solemnly swore to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.Now, in 2025, things have changed considerably. The Supreme Court has granted the president broad immunity from criminal prosecution. Trump has vowed to exact retribution against his political adversaries. While his team was unprepared to assume office the first time, now his staff has reportedly prepared more than 100 executive orders to be signed on Day 1. Organized resistance to Trump is muted this time around, the guardrails protecting democracy are weaker, and many Democrats in Congress say they are willing to work with him.Today, Explained host Noel King spoke with Susan B. Glasser, staff writer and a columnist for the New Yorker, about her memories of Trumps first inauguration and how hes being received differently this time. Glasser is the author, with Peter Baker, her husband and the chief White House correspondent for the New York Times, of the 2022 book The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021.Below is an excerpt of their conversation, edited for length and clarity. Theres much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify.Susan B. GlasserIve been to a lot of different inaugurations here in Washington, going back to Bill Clintons. And 2016 was like nothing Ive ever seen in Washington DC. It was almost like an alien invasion. The streets were deserted. Definitely not the largest inauguration crowd ever in Washington. Nobody knew what to expect. It was just absolutely a time of disorientation, by the way, for Republicans here as well as for Democrats. It was a sense that anything was possible, that the wheels were possibly coming off of the American system. And I will never forget, I was at an inauguration watch party at the top of a hotel here in Washington that looks out over Pennsylvania Avenue where the inaugural parade is. I was sitting there with a close friend and colleague of mine from Politico. And the moment when Barack Obamas helicopter flew off, it just [felt], Were on our own this is really happening.Noel KingIts worth noting that it would not have only been Democrats feeling that on that day, Donald Trump being something new. Can you give us a bit of a sense of just how anti-establishment a figure he was perceived on that Inauguration Day and who maybe he was making the most nervous?Susan B. GlasserYeah, for sure. It was Republicans as well as Democrats who not only didnt know what to expect, but had a profound sense of disruption and concern about it. Remember that Trump had been opposed by the vast majority of his own party in the Republican primaries in terms of the establishment types, the elected officials. And for many of those elected Republicans here in Washington, they viewed this, correctly, I think, as a sort of a hostile takeover by an outsider of their own party. And remember the famous comment from George W. Bush, who was sitting on the platform in his role as former president for Trumps first inauguration. He turned to Hillary Clinton, who was sitting next to him in her role as a former first lady, not in her role as the defeated opponent of Donald Trump. And he said to Hillary Clinton, That was some weird shit, referring to Donald Trumps famous American carnage inaugural address. I later asked the two of them about that. And lets just say that they are not denying that that exchange happened and that that was the experience that they both felt of that moment.Noel KingSo eight years ago, everything was eerie and what the heck is going to happen, and the crowds are not out in the same way that you might expect. In 2025, who is coming out to support Donald Trump that wasnt there last time? Who is notable this year?Susan B. GlasserWell, there is a big change. First of all, we can talk about the opposition to Trump or the lack thereof. And thats the other important point about 2016, is that immediately a resistance paradigm kicked in among Democrats, among people who were upset and appalled and worried about Trumps victory. There was an almost immediate sense that weve got to resist this, weve got to stand up to this. There was the Womens March, as youll recall, immediately after the Trump inauguration. It had huge participation here. And so there was a sense of action being taken, I would say, and that this was something that could or would have to be gotten through for the next four years. I think that that for me is the biggest difference now, eight years later. Not only is there no such massive public kind of acts of resistance planned for the immediate aftermath of Trumps inauguration, but you have Democrats still embroiled in a game of finger-pointing and blame game among themselves about why they lost the election. You have many business leaders, establishment Republicans, and other types of people who would have considered Trump anathema back in 2016, who are not only openly supporting him, but I think theyve come to the conclusion that this is the new normal not only of the Republican Party, but to a certain extent of the country that Trumpism is not some one-off aberration, but an important factor for a long time to come in this countrys politics.Noel KingTell us about the types of corporations. So we hear that big business is getting behind Trump, at least symbolically, in this inauguration. What kinds of big business are we talking about and who represents them on Inauguration Day?Susan B. GlasserThe participation in Trumps inaugural committee, the fundraising for that committee, is a really striking difference that tells you about the level of acceptance from 2016 to today. Since Trumps election in November, youve seen many of Americas corporate leaders of many blue chip corporations, certainly ones that are not associated exclusively with red America, chipping in and announcing $1 million contributions either from the corporation or from the CEO personally or from both of them. Were talking companies like Apple, for example. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is reported to be one of the people who is going to appear at Trumps inauguration, who gave a $1 million contribution. And Tim Cook, hes not a MAGA tweeter like Elon Musk, the worlds richest man, whos donated an extraordinary amount, something like a quarter of a billion dollars, to the effort to elect Donald Trump in 2024. Tim Cook is not a political donor. He seems to be going along with the idea that you have to pay to have access to the Trump administration going forward. And Ive been really struck by that. Thats a huge difference from 2016. The other big difference is not only are you seeing blue chip companies and mainstream Republican donors or even Democrats or former Democrats giving to Trumps inauguration, but its almost like its a concerted message thats being sent to Americas corporate elite, which is that if you dont pony up at least $1 million for this inauguration, you do not have a seat at the table in this future administration.Noel KingAnd so is that what, on this day, support for Trump looks like? Is it giving money to the inauguration? Or is there anything else that we should be looking for?Susan B. GlasserWell, I think thats just a sort of a tip-of-the-iceberg indicator. Donald Trump, of course, is very, very concerned about the public optics, the public narrative. I imagine that it pleases him to no end in Mar-a-Lago to see the parade of business leaders whove sought an audience with him since the election, whove made these very public displays of giving to his inaugural committee. But that is a reminder that theres so much that we dont see thats not publicly disclosed, that we journalists will have to do a lot of digging and a lot of hard work to understand the nature of what else these business leaders are getting.First of all, Trump is appointing many very wealthy individuals and business leaders to his Cabinet. By any reckoning, it is the wealthiest Cabinet with the most billionaires ever appointed in American history. So thats one thing. What are the other possible conflicts of interests, other business concerns that they might bring with them into these cabinet roles, first of all? Second of all, theres the question of the transparency, or lack thereof, of Trumps own family interests and personal financial interests, which was a big issue in his first administration as well. And third, theres the kind of unofficial power that many of those in Trumps orbit exercised in his first term and that I expect them to exercise in a second term as well. And thats very hard to track and is not something that we can find on a disclosure form.Noel KingWhat about elected Democratic lawmakers? Are the Democrats behaving this year in ways that are unexpected or different from last time?Susan B. GlasserYeah, I mean, inaugural addresses have a long tradition of being much more aspirational and very high altitude looking at the big picture goals and dreams and hopes for the country. Not Donald Trump. First, he comes in in 2016 and he has this very, very dark inaugural address, talks about American carnage, huge break with historical past. Then in 2020, what does he do? He denies the results of the election that he legitimately lost. Thats the first time in history, in all of American history, that has happened. He sics a violent mob of his supporters on the US Capitol on the day when theyre certifying Joe Bidens win and Trumps defeat. He refuses to attend the inauguration of his successor. These are ruptures with our past. And so you cant speak about what Democrats are doing this year in anything other than the context of what Trump did four years ago. Even there what you have is Democrats, theyre much more right now an institutionalist party, a party about saying were here to stand up for the traditions and the guardrails that exist in American democracy. So you have Joe Biden not only accepting Trumps victory, Kamala Harris accepting Trumps victory, conceding defeat, planning to attend the inauguration, but theyre not seeing this as the celebration of America in a nonpartisan sense that it used to be. I just saw that George W Bush, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton are not planning on attending the traditional post-inaugural luncheon at the Capitol that normally, of course, they all do attend. And this speaks to Donald Trump turning almost everything into a partisan test of how you react to him. Thats the reason why my husband and I called our book about Trumps first term The Divider. For him, everything is a confrontation. Everything is a division. And that now applies to this tradition of American inaugurations.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More: