Federal lawmakers from Riverside County Monday shared sharply contrasting views on President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, revealing common divisions separating supporters and opponents of the 45th and 47th commander-in-chief.
“Over the past four years, Americans have seen and felt the negative impacts of an affordability crisis, a tidal wave of illegal immigration and emboldened aggression by our adversaries,” Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, said in response to Trump’s inauguration. “Today, that era ends because voters across the nation chose President Donald Trump to take us in a different direction.”
Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert, admitted that he was “disappointed in the outcome of the presidential election and am alarmed at what it might mean for the communities I represent,” but he decided to attend the swearing-in ceremony “to show love of country and how I will always defend its ideals and values.”
Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, whose district encompasses a swath of southwest Riverside County and a large chunk of northern San Diego County, quoted Trump on his X account, reiterating the line, “The impossible — in America, it is what we do best.”
“America’s comeback team is here,” Issa said. “Congratulations, Mr President.”
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, did not comment on the inaugural ceremony itself, but in recent days, he has aired apprehensions and criticisms.
“Over the next several years, we will see a constant barrage of attacks on the rights of the queer community,” he said in one social media post.
In another, he jeered “House Republicans are bending the knee to the real president, and the biggest name at Mar-a-Lago: Elon Musk … He calls the shots for the Republican party. He is unelected and just as out of touch as the rest of the GOP.”
Calvert said it would be a mistake for “partisan” politics to get in the way of “positive outcomes for all Californians.”
“Our objectives are clear: we must help bring down the day-to-day cost of living for working families and seniors,” he said. “We must re-establish our borders and enforce the rule-of-law. We must secure the peace of our country and allies, not through more conflict, but through strength and deterrence.”
He appealed to “all Americans to join us in working together to create a more prosperous, safer and peaceful future for this country.”
Trump previously served as president from January 2017 to January 2021.