Donald Trump

Mass. Democrats brace for Trump's return to office as Republicans celebrate

Donald Trump's second term begins Monday with his inauguration as president

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President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office Monday as he returns to the White House a second nonconsecutive term.

In Massachusetts, Republicans are thrilled, while Democrats are bracing for the worst.

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"It's definitely a very special feeling. I think there's a lot more attendees this time around. Tickets have been hard to come by," said Janet Fogarty, the Massachusetts committeewoman to the RNC.

"We're anticipating a difficult period if he's true to his word," said Traci Griffith of the ACLU of Massachusetts. "He's made promises. He's made comments about things that will come under his purview, and we're ready for that."

During a unity rally at the Boston Common's Parkman Bandstand Friday, a number of speakers expressed concerns about the incoming administration. Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley reiterated her plans to skip Trump's swearing-in, which is taking place as the nation remembers Martin Luther King Junior.

"I think that Project 2025, which is now Trump's agenda, is bad for the country," Pressley said.

Trump didn't win in Massachusetts last fall, but he made gains in the Bay State, winning a higher share of the vote than in 2016 or 2020.

"I think in Massachusetts, there is an undercurrent of support for Trump, and there always has been, but a lot of people don't express it because of concerns of a backlash," Fogarty said.

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