It was exactly one year ago that President Joe Biden was joined by former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama along with members of the Supreme Court, senators, House members, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg under the Capitol Rotunda.
They were all there to witness President Donald Trump take the oath of office, becoming only the second person in U.S. history to be sworn in as president in nonconsecutive terms.
In the 12 months since Trump moved back into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., the impact has been felt across all eight wards of D.C.
WTOP spoke with District residents walking 4th and H St NE, asking them how D.C. has changed during the first year of Trump’s second term.
“We got the Marshals out,” said D.C. resident Chanel Williams. “We got a lot of homeless people.”
Williams smiled as she said she called D.C. home her entire life, but her expression shifted as described what she sees as other changes.
“He don’t like the LGBT,” Williams said. “He’s coming for the trans people. We don’t have a lot of resources anymore because Donald Trump is taking it away.”
Locals describe ‘tension’ in the District
Standing beside Williams was 34-year-old James, who said he has lived in District for half his life and does not remember seeing the National Guard patrolling D.C. streets before now.
“I’m gonna say for the National Guard, it is keeping it safe, because it’s keeping the crime down,” James said. “But we don’t need ICE, U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security and all of them to run together to lock us up, but they have been arresting people for no reason.”
When asked whether he has noticed any positives, James said, “No, it’s no positive. It’s all negative.”
Not everyone WTOP spoke to was a lifelong Washingtonian. Gabriel, 29, has grown up in the D.C. area and lived in the District for the last four years.
“No, I think less people go outside,” Gabriel said. “I think there’s a sense of feeling less safe in more public areas because of the National Guard.”
He added that the tension wasn’t about animosity toward National Guard members.
“Just raises tension in general,” Gabriel said.
As Gabriel headed home, an Uber vehicle pulled into an open parking spot on H St. NE. From the driver’s seat stepped Kalin, who said her job takes her across D.C.
She also said the past year has felt different.
“It’s just made people more defensive,” Kalin said. “We don’t know what we’re going to see when we come outside.”
Washingtonian praises Trump’s changes to DC after being apparently shot
In the 2024 presidential election, former Vice President Kamala Harris received nearly 300,000 votes in the District compared to a little more than 21,000 for Trump.
So it wasn’t surprising that in 90 minutes of conversations on H Street, only one D.C. resident told WTOP he thought Trump’s first year back in office has been positive for the District.
The man, a 20-year District resident, who identified himself “Blue,” said he agreed with a passerby from Maryland who believed the city has grown calmer. He told WTOP he has scars from gunshot wounds.
“I got shot nine times,” said Blue, who offered few additional details about the shooting to WTOP. “Do you think I want to walk around and worry about someone killing me tomorrow?”
He then lifted his shirt, revealing scars and what appeared to be a colostomy bag. They’re reminders of the attack, he said, that nearly killed him.
“You know why I love Trump? The city is safe, know what I’m saying?”
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