WASHINGTON — This weekend is Fran Gianti’s 27th visit to Washington, D.C. The self-described “Oath Keeper, retired insurance claims examiner, mom, grandma and full-time patriot” said she had come to the U.S. Capitol from her home in Long Island for over two dozen tea party protests, and knew she had to be here to watch Donald Trump take the oath of office.
Standing at the foot of the Washington monument, she told TPM, “This is a moment of transformation. We had a President for eight years who was raised by communists and pushed the Saul Alinsky playbook. Now we can restore constitutional principles.”
“What does your sign mean?” a passerby asked.
The sign read “#ballsmatter.”
“That’s what made America great!” Giant said.
“Balls?” the man asked.
“You bet.”
Gianti flew down for inauguration with her neighbor and friend of 30 years, Denise Creighton, who wore a white Trump T-shirt and raincoat and carried a large yellow “don’t tread on me” flag.
Both said they were onboard for the entire Trump policy agenda.
“The first step is to get rid of Obamacare, which was a total disaster,” Gianti said. “It was designed to fail, and taxpayers had to waste money on that failed healthcare.gov website. And they tried to penalize people who didn’t buy insurance. We get rid of that, get rid of the divider in chief, don’t allow people from Muslim countries who hate us to come in. Build that wall.”
A flock of pigeons swept by.
“That’s our sign from God,” she said.
Around the corner of the monument, Troy Bentz, a 56-year-old engineer from King George, Virginia, sat on a bench holding a “people’s victory” sign. Helicopters buzzed overhead, flying towards the Capitol.
Like Gianti, Bentz said he hoped Trump’s administration would restore faith in government and end what he called the “failed socialist experiment” of the Obama administration.
“The Republicans are just as guilty of lying and crony capitalism as Democrats,” Bentz, who spoke with a heavy stutter, said. “But Trump isn’t either. He’s a nationalist, a populist and a businessman. I hope he follows through with his promise to drain the swamp, make America great again, and restore free speech and honesty at the FBI, CIA, DOJ. I hope he stops the stealth Muslim takeover of the US that started when that covert Muslim entered the White House.”
