News Home

On Jan. 20, Americans gathered in Washington D.C. to either support or protest the inauguration of the United State’s 45th president, Donald Trump. A number of Avery County elected officials made the trek to D.C. to witness and show their support for the transition of the Obama administration to the Trump administration.

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx of North Carolina’s fifth district and Avery County Sheriff Kevin Frye were among those in attendance.

Foxx remarked that the inauguration went, “very well, with no glitches.”

“The Inauguration was very exciting. It is wonderful that we had a peaceful transition of power,” Foxx said in a phone interview. “We as Americans should celebrate.”

In her official press release, Foxx remarked that the inauguration was a “positive day for the people of the United States,” and she believed the tradition is a “strong statement to people all over the world who value freedom.”

In response to the protests that happened in Washington the same weekend, Foxx was reminded of how the 2010 Tea Party protests were cleaner and respectful in comparison to the Trump protesters. Foxx said she gave tours for four hours the day of the Women’s March but heard from people that the marchers were “shouting vulgar comments.”

Foxx said Congress will be “working hard to repeal bad legislation,” and will be, “working longer hours.”

Frye said coming from a rural area like Avery County to a place that was packed with people on Inauguration Day was an impressive sight.

“It’s simply amazing and hard to fathom what nearly a million being together looks like,” Frye said.

Frye commended law enforcement and the way D.C. Police directed people, adding that law enforcement was “so friendly, and went out of the way to be nice” to people asking questions about where to go on Inauguration Day.

“For that many people to get where they needed to be quickly and officially, I think they did a great job with that,” Frye said.

Frye said he has seen past inaugurations on television before, but being a part of the 45th Presidential Inauguration was a patriotic experience.

“If it didn’t make you feel patriotism, I don’t believe you have a patriotic bone in your body,” Frye said. “No matter your political affiliation or anything else, to see that many past presidents get together to celebrate the passing of power is something that is uniquely American, I believe. It gave a great impression of being an American citizen and what being an American citizen means.”

Frye said the biggest promise he hopes to see come to fruition that the Trump administration has focused on is giving power back to the American people.

“We’ve had a system that has greatly benefitted both parties to be in elected office, and instead of politicians we need patriots, instead of self-servants we need servants,” Frye added. “That is going to be a portion of the change that will happen.”

On a personal level, Frye said he hopes that this administration is careful not to quickly and sometimes unjustly criticize law enforcement without first getting all the facts. Frye’s first impression of President Trump is that he is going to be pro-law enforcement.

“That is a much-needed change from the previous administration,” Frye said. “I believe the previous administration often jumped on perceived facts that later turned out to be incorrect.”

As far as the protest and Women’s March, Frye believes that it is important that people have the right to voice their opinions and that he had the opportunity to speak to many protesters, though he did have concerns over some of the language used.

At the local level, Frye, who spoke during a rally in Asheville during then-candidate Trump’s campaign, said he hopes the Trump administration puts forth efforts to help law enforcement, especially in rural areas, come into the 21st century as far as technology and abilities are concerned. He also hopes that the job-creation aspect of his administration filters down to local areas, making it easier for small businesses to start up and succeed.

North Carolina Rep. Josh Dobson did not attend, but watched the event on television and shared his thoughts about the transition of power with The AJT.

“I was pleasantly surprised with the tone of his speech,” Dobson said. He added that he hopes the incoming president puts Americans first, focusing on reforming the “strict fair trade deal,” and hopes he adheres to that.

Dobson added that President Trump needs to “stick to the issues” and not worry about trivial issues, such as debating on whether his Inaugural crowd size was larger than President Obama’s.

“If he sticks to the issues, he wins and we will win,” Dobson said.

Dobson shared his agreement with President Trump regarding what he cited as “unfair trade deals,” adding that it hurts western North Carolina, and that factories are closed due to these deals. Among other issues, Dobson said he approves of securing the border, which he says has been a policy that has let the nation down and that both parties want to see.

“He has made a commitment to secure borders, and I am anxious to see that happen,” Dobson said.

http://www.averyjournal.com/avery/elected-avery-officials-attend-inauguration/article_fa35cdbb-8c6f-560b-83ba-f2cd97039de2.html