Thousands of President Donald Trump’s supporters flooded downtown D.C. on Monday as he was sworn in as the nation’s 47th president inside the U.S. Capitol.

Trump in his roughly 30-minute inaugural address declared that the “golden age of America begins right now” as he pledged to immediately declare a national emergency at the southern border, seize the Panama Canal and terminate federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs in his return to power. Trump, the second president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first to be a convicted felon, was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts in the same building that had been attacked by a mob of his supporters four years ago in a failed attempt to undermine the 2020 election results.

“Many people thought it was impossible for me to stage such a historic political comeback, but as you see here today, here I am,” Trump said in his address.

Trump on Friday announced that his swearing-in ceremony would take place inside the Capitol Rotunda as opposed to the Capitol steps due to forecasted subfreezing temperatures, which restricted in-person viewing to select guests and marked the first change in venue since 1985. The move voided thousands of inauguration tickets and redirected Trump’s supporters to Capital One Arena in Chinatown, where more than 200,000 people began queuing at 5 a.m. in a line that swelled to nearly seven blocks long in hopes of securing one of 20,000 seats for the inaugural parade.

Trump in his address also vowed to declare a national energy emergency and promised that the U.S. would once again consider itself a “growing nation” that “expands our territory.” He criticized former President Joe Biden’s administration for allegedly weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute him and mishandling the Los Angeles wildfires that continue to rage. He planned to sign nearly 100 executive orders on his first day in office, covering issues from immigration reforms and pardons for Jan. 6 rioters to halting the TikTok ban.

“We will do it at a level nobody has ever seen before,” Trump said of his planned executive orders in his address.

JD Vance was sworn in as the country’s 50th Vice President shortly before Trump by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Inauguration Day coincides with Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, which Chairwoman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies Amy Klobuchar (D-Mn.) said in her address serves as “a further reminder that we must strive to uphold the values enshrined in our constitution.”

The University closed all offices and placed campus on GWorld safety mode on Monday, permitting only students and community members with tap access to enter buildings. Officials on Saturday announced that traffic restrictions in Foggy Bottom would be “significantly reduced” after Trump moved the inauguration ceremony indoors.

Ahead of the inauguration ceremony, thousands bundled up in Trump-themed scarves and beanies as they faced the below-freezing temperatures — and just before noon, snow flurries — to line H Street from 10th to 4th streets in an attempt to gain access to Capital One Arena. Trump supporters sported Trump-laden memorabilia — from themed rubber ducks to red MAGA hats — as a relatively calm crowd wove through the metal barricades directing traffic to the 20,000 seats in the arena.

Attendees intermittently spouted chants of “U-S-A” and “Let’s Go Brandon” as they looped through the barricaded line, while vendors lining the sidewalks sold Trump T-shirts, framed photos and flags. Other attendees handed out free pocket constitutions and books about conservative ideology.

Candice Rock, a Trump supporter from Farmington Hills, Michigan, said she traveled to D.C. for the ceremony because she’s loved Trump since 2016 and is looking forward to positive changes in his second presidency, like lowered gas and food prices — items Trump has pledged to deliver. She said she drove more than 500 miles to D.C. this year after she regretted not attending Trump’s 2017 inauguration, adding that she visited D.C. for Biden’s 2021 inauguration to sport MAGA gear and showcase her support for Trump.

Rock said she was “kind of bummed” that Trump decided to move his inauguration indoors because she would’ve loved to attend, but said she got to see him in person at a rally in Detroit during his campaign.

“I think he’s going to go down as one of the best presidents,” Rock said. “I know in my lifetime he has been the best president.”

John Prendergast, who traveled from New York to attend the inauguration, said he was excited to witness Trump’s inauguration because it’s a “historic moment.” He said when Trump enters office, he hopes to see the border closed and the Jan. 6 prisoners released.

“We would not survive another four years under Biden,” Prendergast said. “So that’s why this is a turning point, a pivot. We have to come back from this.”

Linda Gagliardi, a Trump supporter who traveled from New York for the inauguration, said she did not attend the 2017 swearing-in but is excited to be a part of the celebration this year. She said while she was looking forward to the outdoor ceremony, the atmosphere outside the Capital One area was “uplifting.”

“I had some phenomenal tickets that would have brought me inside, and I’m a little upset that they made it first come first serve, instead of honoring the ticket holders,” Gagliardi said. “But other than that, I’m still happy to be a part of the celebration.”

After moving the inauguration inside, uncertainty about which ticket holders would be eligible to attend the ceremonies lingered into the weekend. The majority of tickets for the outdoor ceremony became “commemorative,” while organizers decided if there was space to admit people with tickets in sections three and four, according to the Washington Post.

Dustin Beard, a Trump supporter from Ringgold, Georgia, said he attended Trump’s 2017 inauguration with his daughter and came this time because he enjoyed being surrounded by like-minded people. Beard said it was a “disappointment” when Trump moved the inauguration indoors because he wasn’t able to see the ceremony, but said he attended a breakfast on Monday morning with his district’s Congressional representative, Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), which was a “consolation prize.”

“We came to the first to the first Trump inauguration, me and my middle daughter, and we enjoyed it,” Beard said. “So we said we would definitely want to come back to another one.”

After the ceremony, Trump left the rotunda and proceeded to the visitor center, where he began carrying out his day-one agenda, which included ending the use of the border app CBP One, which allowed 1 million people to legally enter the United States with eligibility to work, and appointing an acting defense secretary because the Senate has not yet approved his pick, Pete Hegseth.