Philadelphia-area Republicans celebrate Trump's second term as Democrats take wait-and-see approach
Jim Worthington was inside the U.S. Capitol Monday, celebrating the return of Donald Trump to the White House with hundreds of people gathered in an auxiliary room.
"Oh, by the way, here's the president coming out now," he said during a Zoom call with CBS News Philadelphia, turning his phone to a large screen broadcasting inauguration coverage.
Worthington, one of Mr. Trump's key Pennsylvania backers for nearly a decade now, said he felt he had to be there to see his second swearing in. He described the moment as bittersweet.
"It's a happy but sad day because it closes a chapter of nine years for me," Worthington said.
Republican lawmakers from the Philadelphia area celebrated Monday's inauguration, as Mr. Trump's return to Washington gives the GOP control over the White House and Congress. The president took quick action to sign a slew of executive orders.
Freshman Republican Congressman Ryan Mackenzie, who flipped Pennsylvania's 7th District in November, says he's looking to see quick action from Mr. Trump on taking those orders into action.
"We want to see a continuation of what was talked about on the campaign trail actually being put into practice," Mackenzie said.
Mackenzie said he expects the early priorities for the Trump administration to follow the president's pledges on the campaign trail. But he thinks the biggest immediate impact Americans may see is on immigration.
"From a border perspective, there's a lot that the president can actually do," Mackenzie said.
But certainly not all lawmakers in our area were celebrating a second coming of the controversial political figure.
"This is a bizarre contradiction of America," said Philadelphia City Councilmember Rue Landau, pointing to Mr. Trump's inauguration happening on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Landau sees Mr. Trump's return to the White House as a time for the city to get ready. This week, Landau is set to host what she called a "Trump Preparedness Hearing" in City Council. The focus will be on ways Philadelphia can protect immigrant, LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities the councilmember believes could come under threat from the new regime.
Mr. Trump on Inauguration Day said he would declare an emergency at the southern border and pledged that the U.S. would officially only recognize two genders.
"People are ready for this. Our experts are ready for this. And that we want clear communication to communities," Landau said.
Other area Democrats, though, have signaled at least some willingness to work with Mr. Trump and his administration. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman met with Mr. Trump last week. And at a MLK Day event in Philadelphia Monday morning, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he would work with anybody who could move the state forward. But he couched that statement with this:
"But make no mistake, as your governor, I will never ever back down from defending your fundamental freedoms when they are at risk," Shapiro said.
Similarly, New Jersey Congressman Donald Norcross said Monday he was looking to find "common ground" where both sides could work together. But he also noted he'll be watching the president's early moves very closely.
"What we really need to be concerned with is those executive orders. Who is he going after, and why?" Norcross said.
