Hundreds of Louisiana Republicans are gathering in Washington ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday. Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere says everyone is excited about watching Mr. Trump take the oath of office to become the 45th President of the United States.

“We’re looking forward to a great inauguration. I think it’s exciting. There’s a lot of planned activities. There’s going to be outdoor concerts, going to be a huge parade,” Villere said.

Villere says it’s also exciting to have the West Monroe High School band participate in the inaugural parade. But after such a contentious election cycle, many Americans have expressed concerns about the new administration. Villere believes it’s more of a fear of the unknown. And He says a Democratic administration hasn’t proven to be effective.

“Look at all your major cities that have been controlled by Democrats for nearly a hundred years, and where are they? Look at New Orleans with the murder rate there. We have cities that are failing, abject poverty, people not having an opportunity to get a job,” Villere said.

Villere says all Mr. Trump wants is for people to give him a chance. He says Democrats may be even more afraid that the President-elect will succeed than fail.

“If he can grow jobs in the United States, if he can change outcomes, if he can re do the infrastructure, it’s going to change the way we do business in the United States, and I think the Democrats are scared of that,” Villere said.

More than 900,000 people are expected to attend the inauguration, which will take place on the West Front of the US Capitol at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

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