Five things to know about Inauguration Day for Connecticut residents: Orders, Lamont and more

CT Insider – Monday, January 20, 2025
By Dan Brechlin

Monday is set to mark the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president. His return to office after four years includes a busy day of ceremonies, speeches and balls.

The day marks a transition of power, handing the reins over from President Joe Biden to Trump. But the day isn’t just about ceremonies.

Trump is expected to get right to work after his swearing in ceremony (sometime around noon) by signing potentially dozens of executive orders. It’s expected those orders will include a clampdown on the U.S.-Mexico border, school gender policies and vaccine mandates and possibly issuing pardons for some of those involved in the Jan. 6 riots. That stack of orders will leave people around the country, including in Connecticut, scrambling to figure out just what they mean.

Here’s a look at what people in Connecticut should know about Inauguration Day.

Gov. Ned Lamont will be at the inauguration

Lamont is scheduled to be one of just a handful of Democratic governors attending the ceremony. He has no plans of staying too long in Washington D.C., and certainly not for the ceremonial balls during the evening. However, the governor said he thought it was important to show up.

“It’s respect for the presidency,” Lamont recently told CT Insider. “And if they invite Connecticut to go down and represent the people of Connecticut at the inauguration of a president of the United States, you go.”

Also in attendance will be Connecticut’s delegation.

Gov. Susan Bysiewicz in Connecticut

Lamont being in D.C. means that, for a few hours, Bysiewicz is Connecticut’s sitting governor. She has a busy morning ahead: in addition to attending a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in West Hartford, she’s overseeing the state coming off the first major snowstorm of the year. It may not be enough snow to shut down the highways, but it’s enough to disrupt roadways Monday.

In addition, those executive orders will start getting signed before Lamont returns. It’s unlikely the orders will necessitate immediate action, but the situation remains relatively unpredictable.

What do the executive orders mean for Connecticut?

That is the exact question Attorney General William Tong’s office, among other lawyers employed by the state, in addition to other attorneys, will be working to figure out Monday afternoon and for the foreseeable future.

Connecticut has its own set of laws and protections when it comes to everything from immigration policy to reproductive rights to transgender policies in schools. What they mean exactly though, whether federal policy can usurp rules here and which Connecticut officials plan to follow remains to be seen and will be the subject of discussion for days to come.

Lamont has indicated the state may be willing to talk, for instance, when it comes to people committing significant crimes being wanted by ICE agents. But others? That could turn into a fight.

“We’ve been preparing and working on this for a long time,” Tong said in November. “We and all of our partners are ready for this. It is the law and the policy of the state of Connecticut to respect, honor and protect immigrants and immigrants families here in Connecticut.”

It’s not assumed, should Trump go ahead with deportation orders, that Connecticut would be the place for ICE raids to start. But given the situation, nothing can necessarily be assumed and there remains a wait-and-see approach.

Protests in Connecticut?

The early days of Trump’s presidency were marked by rallies and protest in Washington and around the country. But those protests weren’t over the course of one or two days, but rather weeks and months.

Perhaps that’s possible again and it’s likely that executive orders and policies could drive calls to action.

What is known, however is that there’s at least one notable protest Monday in front of New Haven City Hall. The protest stands against the expected immigration policies.

Inauguration events

It will be a busy day in Washington D.C. with Trump attending all sorts of events.

The swearing-in ceremony starts at about 11:30 a.m. and will be streamed across news websites, including CT Insider. The event will be marked by traditional music and a speech from the incoming president.

While the plan was for an outside ceremony attended by thousands, that will not be the case. Frigid weather has moved the ceremony inside, meaning it will only be viewed by a limited number of people. A number of local officials from Connecticut are attending events throughout the weekend, including GOP Chairman Ben Proto, among others.

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