Texas Capitol quiet on Inauguration Day as Joe Biden takes office
The scene was quiet at the Texas Capitol Wednesday despite warnings of potential unrest at statehouses across the country leading up to Inauguration Day.
A few people stood outside the grounds — which were locked off from the public and under heavy security — soon after President Joe Biden took his oath of office.
The Capitol and its grounds were closed due to potential armed protests. The FBI recently warned of planned armed protests at all 50 statehouses and the U.S. Capitol leading up to Biden’s inauguration.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers in riot gear were stationed on the statehouse’s grounds.
Luke Landreth, 19, stood on the sidewalk outside the gates. He had a paper with an image of Donald Trump’s suspended Twitter account taped to his T-shirt.
Landreth, a student at the University of Texas, said he voted for Biden. He was joined by Felix Luna, 17. On Jan. 6, Luna found himself on the edge of a crowd of Trump supporters outside the Texas Capitol gates during a protests. Luna held a “Biden” flag at the demonstration, which fell on the same day as the storming of the U.S. Capitol.
“We kind of expected a lot of protesters to come out, and we just wanted to go and show our support for Joe Biden,” Landreth said, when asked why he wanted to come to the statehouse Wednesday. “We’re happy that Donald Trump has finally been kicked out.”
A handful of Trump supporters showed up outside the Capitol gates.
Later in the afternoon, a small group of people held sign reading “Socialism is Slavery.” A woman displayed a poster with “Inauguration Day? No Way!” printed across it in red.
Whit Gilbert of Dayton, Texas, said he was protesting the election and questioned the results. Experts have said there’s no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
“I drove a long way,” Gilbert said. “I thought there’d be more Trump supporters. More conservatives.”
As he spoke, a passenger of a passing car yelled, “We won the election,” telling the protesters with colorful language to “go home.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 4:49 PM.
