The U.S. Capitol is seen from the top of the Washington Monument at dawn on Inauguration Day, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington. (Brendan McDermid/Pool via AP)

The cold couldn’t keep Butler County Republicans like Tammy Bowser and Bernice Yockey from making the trip to see the second inauguration of Donald Trump, six months after he survived an assassination attempt in Butler County.

While the freezing temperatures may have deterred many from boarding a bus late Sunday evening for the trip from Butler County to the nation’s capital, a small cohort persisted to be a part of the day’s activities, which will include an inaugural parade featuring first responders who served at Trump’s July 13 Butler County rally.

“If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t have come on this bus,” Yockey said.

It was 22 degrees and dark yet when a handful of Butler County Republicans arrived at Shady Grove Station around 5 a.m. Monday morning. The group had traveled overnight, boarding a bus late Sunday evening to reach the subway station.

The group intends to find their way to the heart of the happenings. Though the swearing-in ceremony and the parade were relocated to be held indoors, the Butler County Republicans join thousands who are traveling to Washington D.C. anyways.

Trump will be sworn in to office at noon inside the Capitol Rotunda, and the parade, featuring Butler County first responders, will be held at the Capital One Arena. The parade is traditionally held along Pennsylvania Avenue starting at the Capitol and ending at the White House.

For Bowser and Yockey, who were at the July rally, being at the inauguration is made that much sweeter by two things: knowing the day celebrates Trump’s return to office; and knowing that Butler County’s first responders are honored in the parade.

The two had been among many other Butler County Republicans on July 13, where an assassination attempt killed an attendee, Corey Comperatore, injured two others, and a bullet grazed Trump’s ear.

Butler Eagle reporter Zach Zimmerman is in D.C., where he will be reporting throughout the day.