WASHINGTON – Democratic Senator. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the Chief of the first transitionShe acknowledged the difficulty of overseeing the transfer of power to President Trump as his supporters tried to overturn the election results, but also said it was important for her and other Democrats to recognize Trump's victory in 2024.
“We had a job to do,” Klobuchar, the chairwoman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, which worked for two years to plan the transition, said in an interview Monday night. “And that's why President Obama and President Clinton came, they knew exactly what had happened with this request. But that was our job.”
Asked if it was difficult to speak at the inauguration of Trump, for whom Klobuchar did not vote, she replied: “Well, everything about it can be a little difficult.”
But she added that she wanted to use the opportunity to convince Trump of the need to help Los Angeles recover from the crisis Forest fires and the importance of the 2028 Olympics in Southern California. “This is important,” Klobuchar said.
Introducing Monday's inauguration ceremony in the Capitol's historic rotunda, Klobuchar coyly addressed the dichotomy of the formal swearing-in, which took place at the same venue that Trump's supporters stormed as they tried to stop the certification of his defeat in 2020.
“Today, President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance will take the oath of office and we will witness the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democracy,” said Klobuchar, who ran for president in 2020 before dropping out and endorsing Biden. “Our theme this year is our lasting democracy. The presence of so many presidents and vice presidents here today is truly a testament to that perseverance.”