As temperatures dipped well below freezing, Donald Trump supporters were out early. They queued up in their thousands outside Capitol One Arena - the stadium where the inauguration ceremony taking place inside the nearby Capitol Building was beamed onto large screens.
Merchandise sellers appeared to be doing a roaring trade in Trump-branded caps, hoodies and t-shirts.
There was even a mechanised Trump doll with clashing cymbals and eyes that popped out - which was somewhat less popular.
With a capacity inside the stadium of just over 20,000, there wasn't room for everyone.
Many gave up, opting to swap the sub-zero outside temperatures for warmer café and restaurant interiors.
A few were disgruntled, having travelled for hours to witness the moment in person. Others took it in their stride.
"We gave it the good gung-ho for two hours, then I said enough is enough, and we came inside," said a Trump supporter from North Carolina.
"People in the line were getting a bit obnoxious, pushing and shoving, excited to get in, so I thought, I don’t need this," said another.
"As long as he’s safe," said one fan who had travelled from Atlanta, Georgia, referring to President Trump.
A woman in a red cowboy hat agreed.
"As long as I’m here in Washington and he’s being sworn in as our president, I’m good," she said.
Inside one bar on Massachusetts Avenue, spirits were high as the inauguration ceremony kicked off.
Sightings of Trump on screen brought whoops and cheers from the MAGA-merch-sporting crowd.
Chants of "USA, USA!" broke out at regular intervals.
But the boos for outgoing president Biden and other Democrats were equally as heartfelt.
"Get him out," one woman shouted from the bar as the footage of Biden’s departure from the White House was shown, drawing a round of applause.
President Trump’s remarks on border control, ending the "Green New Deal" legislation to tackle climate change, renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and declaring it US policy to recognise only two genders drew the most enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. As did every mention of God.
As country music star Carrie Underwood crooned 'America the Beautiful'- A capella, due to technical difficulties that cut the sound - some people inside the bar were emotional.
"Him standing there and saying he’s going to fight for us, he means it," said Betty Ann Kurkian from New Jersey.
"And when he said God saved him for a reason," she added, referring to the assassination attempt on Mr Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania last summer, "we all know he did save him for a reason - he really did," she said.
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"I did the Mel Gibson, Braveheart thing," said her friend, Annette, who had blue stripes painted on her face, "because freedom - that’s what we need, we need freedom back," she said.
"We need to clean Washington DC up, get rid of all this corruption that’s going on," she added.
"He is bringing God back into this country, he’s going to bring morals and values back, get our schools straight and great again and make this world stronger," said Diane Jarrett.
"We are the greatest nation in the world, we gotta make it stronger so that we can fight evil and keep good protected," she added.
Strength was a common theme among Trump supporters here.
And there’s an expectation that the new president will make the cost of living more affordable - very soon.
A Trump fan in a rhinestone-encrusted MAGA hat said she believed prices would come down in the next few months.
"Grocery and gas prices have been astronomical," she said.
"We have a farm and we’ve been going broke over fuel prices and stuff, plus I’ve been sick for a while," said Mack Macaulay from Florida.
He said he was looking forward to fuel prices dropping.
How will the new President do that, I asked.
"Drill, baby, drill," said his wife, Alexis Macaulay, repeating one of Mr Trump’s catchphrases on his plans for American oil and gas exploration.
The Macaulays added they felt discussions on gender identity in the United States in recent years were a "little too much".
"I think that’s what pushed things over the edge," Ms Macaulay said.
As President Trump's second presidency began, a sense of optimism amongst his supporters was high - but so were expectations that he will deliver on the promises he made them.
