四虎影院 wanted to know how North Texans are feeling about the change in America鈥檚 leadership that officially took place Wednesday, so we posed the question to folks on social media. Here are some of the thoughts and feelings shared with us:
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think Biden was the best choice for the presidency,鈥� said Mathew Miller from Fort Worth. 鈥淏ut [Biden鈥檚] infinitely better than what we had for the last four years.鈥�
Miller said normally he鈥檚 not very emotional about presidential elections, but today he 鈥渃annot wait鈥� for the new leader to take office. He also admits that performances from Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez had him holding back tears. 鈥淛-Lo just killed 鈥楾his Land Is Your Land.鈥� Killed it! And now, it's all happening.鈥�
Garland resident Shelby Donahue shared some of Miller鈥檚 feelings and said she feels 鈥減retty ambivalent鈥� about the incoming president.
鈥淥bviously, I鈥檓 glad that Trump is no longer in office,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut from the things Biden has said, the people he鈥檚 chosen for important positions, the way he鈥檚 talked about being more aggressive overseas, and domestically wanting to work with Republicans 鈥� I just feel like [Biden鈥檚] too willing to compromise and play nice.鈥�
Donahue worries that the Biden will 鈥済ive in鈥� to Republicans on important issues like coronavirus relief in an attempt to heal the country. She said doing so would 鈥減rioritize the worst parts of the American right-wing rather than the majority of voters.鈥�
Adam Swartz, a North Dallas resident, said he was feeling 鈥渢hankful鈥� today, because he could have a conversation with his 11-year-old daughter to let her know that 鈥渢he last four years wasn鈥檛 what it was supposed to be.鈥�
Swartz said that four years ago he and his daughter watched the presidential election very closely. And that when Trump won, he had to have 鈥渁 delicate conversation鈥� with her.
鈥淭hat was tough. But explaining things over and over again for the past four years became this horrifying exercise for me [in which] I was explaining to her what the worst parts of us are,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want that to be the only idea of what she thought a presidency is and how it runs.鈥�
Laurence White was in a similar situation to Swartz. The downtown Dallas resident is also a father of a daughter. He said there鈥檝e definitely been lots of difficult conversations over the past four years. But today, White was filled with joy because he and his 17-year-old could see Vice President Harris, a woman, in the second most powerful position in our country.
鈥淚 have spent the majority of [my daughter鈥檚] life telling her that the fact that she is a woman should have absolutely zero impact on her ability to impact the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I think many people realized and understand that鈥檚 not always true.鈥�
Seeing the Vice President on the inauguration stage was proof that women could do anything for White though. 鈥淪eeing [Harris鈥橾 face and the joy she had when she was being sworn in by Judge Sonia Sotomayor 鈥� all I could really do was think about the future for my own daughter,鈥� White said.
鈥淭his is a time for equality, egalitarianism, and openness for the future that here to for I haven鈥檛 really had too much hope for,鈥� he said.
Angel Rodriguez is also a Dallas resident who鈥檚 feeling 鈥渉opeful鈥� today. Rodriguez immigrated to East Texas from Mexico as a kid, and he identifies as an American. He said being a person of color and immigrant has been 鈥渢ough鈥� during Trump鈥檚 presidency.
鈥淚 feel like we can all finally breathe,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a very stressful four years. And I know it鈥檚 not just for me, it鈥檚 for the whole country itself, especially people of color and immigrants.鈥�
Rodriguez said that he saw an ugly side of people start to come out in Facebook posts and in personal conversations while Trump was in office, and that the things said sometimes put a rift between him and people he thought was close to. But now that Biden and Harris are going to be leading the country, he thinks it鈥檚 time to 鈥渇orgive and move on as a united people.鈥�
鈥淭he one way I see us all moving forward as a country and just being 鈥楢merica鈥� once more, is all of us just being united,鈥� he said.
East Dallas resident Lisa Lopez agrees with the sentiment of unity expressed by Rodriguez and President Biden. She said today鈥檚 inauguration was so inspiring 鈥� from the messages to the performances 鈥� that she can鈥檛 wait for tomorrow, 鈥渟o that I can wake up and see how things are going to be and to feel the feelings of inspiration one more time.鈥�
In his first address to the nation as its leader, Biden pledged to unite the county and called on Americans to come together to heal our politically divided nation.
"I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide are deep and they are real," Biden said. "Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we're all created equal and the harsh ugly reality of racism, nativism, fear, demonization. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge 鈥� and unity is the path forward,.
Got a tip? Email Hady Mawajdeh at hady@四虎影院.org. You can follow Hady on Twitter .
四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider today. Thank you.
