‘A great comeback story’: Valley residents celebrate Trump’s return to White House on Inauguration Day

Jack Perazella cheers with others as Donald Trump takes the oath of office during an Inauguration Day party in Westfield on Monday morning.

Jack Perazella cheers with others as Donald Trump takes the oath of office during an Inauguration Day party in Westfield on Monday morning. STAFF PHOTO/ CAROL LOLLIS

Cathy Wauczinski of Easthampton expresses her excitement about Donald Trump as president during an Inauguration Day party in Westfield on Monday morning.

Cathy Wauczinski of Easthampton expresses her excitement about Donald Trump as president during an Inauguration Day party in Westfield on Monday morning. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS

Chris Ryan, of Westfield, expresses his excitement about Donald Trump as president during an Inauguration Day party in Westfield on Monday morning.

Chris Ryan, of Westfield, expresses his excitement about Donald Trump as president during an Inauguration Day party in Westfield on Monday morning. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS

Ken Zulu, of Springfield, gets his picture taken by Gabriella Castle during an Inauguration Day party celebrating Donald Trump in Westfield on Monday morning.

Ken Zulu, of Springfield, gets his picture taken by Gabriella Castle during an Inauguration Day party celebrating Donald Trump in Westfield on Monday morning. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS

Chad Erickson, of Westfield, expresses his excitement about Donald Trump as president during an Inauguration Day party in Westfield on Monday morning.

Chad Erickson, of Westfield, expresses his excitement about Donald Trump as president during an Inauguration Day party in Westfield on Monday morning. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS

Chris Ryan expresses his excitement about Donald Trump as president during an Inauguration Day party in Westfield on Monday morning.

Chris Ryan expresses his excitement about Donald Trump as president during an Inauguration Day party in Westfield on Monday morning. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS

By SAMUEL GELINAS

Staff Writer

Published: 01-20-2025 4:08 PM

Modified: 01-20-2025 8:06 PM


WESTFIELD — Minutes after noon on Monday, repeated chants of “USA” filled East Mountain Country Club after Donald J. Trump took the oath of office, officially making him the 47th president of the United States.

Serving as the Pioneer Valley’s Capital One Arena so to speak, East Mountain welcomed nearly 200 people to view the spectacle of the 60th presidential inauguration in American history — and Trump’s second. Attendees, Trump supporters from various local communities, celebrated not only the return of Trump to the White House, but also what one supporter lauded as the “second coming” of America.

“It’s a great day in America. Time to bring America back,” said Barry Brzoska, of Southampton.

Likewise Denise Orwat, of Southampton, said the inauguration marks the moment that “America’s back,” adding that, “It’s been rough for the past four years … These next four years will be a gift and a wonderful time.”

Sarah Michel, also known as “Sarah the Fiddler,” of Southampton, who provided music, also pointed to her excitement about the historic day. “This is an event that happens once in a lifetime. It’s a great comeback story, and as a musician I work to help unite folks through music,” she said.

Leading up to the noon hour, Chris Ryan told those in attendance: “Our national nightmare will be over in just a few moments,” and less than an hour before Trump took the stage and opened his second inaugural address telling the country they are entering the “golden age of America.”

Many at the Inauguration Day party also were eager to see the actions Trump would follow through on after Monday’s fanfare, as Trump has infamously used the phrase “dictator for a day” to refer to what he has said will be a packed first day back in the Oval Office.

According to Ryan, who leads the Massachusetts Republican Party State Committee representing Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester counties, at least 100 executive orders are expected to be signed on Trump’s first day in office, many of which will repeal executive orders made during the Biden administration. In addition to border security, Trump will also focus on designating cartels as transnational terrorist organizations, which Ryan says will serve to combat the groups responsible for the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.

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“He’s going to tariff China, and I think Canada. He’s not going to absorb Canada. He’s moving toward a more European Union style arrangement, where we’ll have a common currency, and the border will just be a line on the map,” he said.

“And Panama,” Ryan added, “we’re really going to kick the Chinese out of Panama. … They’re gonna be forced to sell it to American businesses because we’re 72% of the traffic,” he said.

“If you’re a TikTok fan, you probably already know you can thank him for that,” following Trump’s announcement that he would grant a 90-day extension for TikTok to find a buyer for the massively popular social media app.

Chad Erickson, of Westfield, said he has been a Trump supporter “since the very beginning,” and wants to see Trump’s “America First” ideas take shape. In his view, immigration will be a primary focus for Trump.

He said he anticipates Trump will “go hardcore on illegal immigration. That is not a joke. He is going to hit it hard. … I think we need to seal up the borders and start taking care of number one, which is us, first.”

In addition, he said, “Obviously taxes are a huge thing, like you know, deregulation and becoming energy independent. All of these things he has the ability to come in and do very quickly.”

Confident that Trump will come through on his agenda, Erickson said: “Trump’s got that business sense of the way that he does things, which is unlike anyone else.”

Cathy Wauczinski, a member of the Easthampton Republican City Committee since 2022, shared that she prioritized a strong leader on reproductive rights in November and looks forward to foreign conflicts calming down under Trump, favoring security internationally.

“We need a strong president, and someone that could have enough effective presence in the position,” she said.

Wauczinski said that she is not the only one who feels this way, citing strong support for Trump’s agenda in Hampshire County. To back her claim, she claimed that Massachusetts, traditionally one of the nations most die-hard liberal states, saw the second highest growth in Republican votes anywhere in the country, only behind Florida. While Trump was still impossibly behind Kamala Harris in the state, garnering only 36% of the vote, Hampden, Worcester, Plymouth, and Bristol counties all indicated upticks in Trump support.

Ruth McCormick, a member of the Southampton Republican Committee who identifies as a fiscal conservative, shared her optimism despite not being a Trump “devotee.”

As an opponent to student loan forgiveness and as a strong advocate for gun rights, she did not feel the Democratic Party served her interests effectively, and has backed Trump despite his advocacy for causes she doesn’t support. She even downplayed what many were calling Trump’s “comeback story,” and said that, “Nixon had a great comeback story.”

“I’m not a big fan of his tariffs … and I’m actually pro-immigration, rather than anti-immigration. I think immigrants make our country much more strong,” she said.

Despite citing her nervousness about the next four years, she said, “I am excited because I have not liked the Democratic agenda” and that her support for Trump is “a combination of not liking the Democrats, and liking parts of Trump’s agenda.”

Mark Perez, member of the Southampton Republican Committee and owner of East Mountain Country Club, put on the celebration with the help of local business sponsors.

Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com