Washington DC residents flee ahead of Trump inauguration: ‘I can’t be here’

Republicans and conservatives meanwhile are pouring in for celebrations with hotels being nearly 70% booked

Alejandra Whitney-Smith has plans for president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration next week: spend a week in a cabin without technology.

It [inauguration weekend] coincides with my birthday weekend, which I usually do spend in DC, but when the election happened, I told myself, Oh, no, I can't be here,'" said Whitney-Smith, whose mother was working at the Library of Congress during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol in 2021. I just remember that feeling of fear for her and then also just concern for me being in the city. I just knew for me - I didn't want to be around that sort of hostile negative energy."