Evan Powers, the chairman of the Florida Republican Party, expects a triumphal atmosphere when Trump is sworn in for a second time on Monday, with breakfasts and receptions planned for the hundreds of Floridians flying into the nation’s capital.

His state is far from the only one rolling out the red carpet as other delegations plan galas along the National Mall at museums and historical buildings. But the events will have additional resonance with Republicans in Florida, the state Trump has called home since he left the White House in 2020.

Multiple state officials are also under consideration for Trump’s second administration, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Mike Walz (R-FL), Trump’s choices for secretary of state and national security adviser, respectively.

“Our contingent is excited,” Powers told the Washington Examiner. “Florida has really become the epicenter of politics, with so many of our people being tapped into the administration. And if you look at what’s happened in Florida over the past number of years, Florida’s really led the way from a conservative viewpoint, and now we have a chance to showcase what we’ve accomplished in Florida on the national stage.”

The Sunshine State delegation will hold a breakfast and gala on Saturday, both at the Marriott Marquis, with a separate Sunshine Ball hosted by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). On Sunday, there will be a reception at Florida House, opposite the Supreme Court.

Demonstrations are planned as Democratic activists protest Trump’s inauguration, but permits are down from the levels seen eight years ago.

“The Democrat Party has played to their extreme left fringe, and it’s made being a Republican much easier,” Powers said. “We’ve always been a big tent party, but I would say our tent is growing, and we’re representing a wider variety of Americans, from working-class Americans to middle-class Americans and beyond.”

Powers conceded the Florida state party thought it was being “ambitious” when it booked 100 hotel rooms, before it ended up with 260. In total, 600 people in two Washington hotels make up Florida’s delegation.

The largest state society gala will be the Black Tie and Boots Ball at the Washington Hilton, organized by the Texas State Society. The second-largest will be the Midwest Inaugural Gala, hosted at the National Museum of Women in the Arts by state societies in Iowa, South Dakota, Illinois, and Missouri.

Trump will be attending several galas, including the Commander in Chief Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball, and the Starlight Ball.

The contrast between Trump’s second inauguration and his first could not be more stark. Tens of thousands converged on the National Mall to protest Trump in 2017, with a Women’s March held that Saturday to oppose him.

This time around, a sizable but smaller number are expected to attend a “People’s March” and other demonstrations in Washington.

Trump’s inauguration will also not be subdued like Biden’s was in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

“The tragedy of how the Democrats reacted to Donald Trump’s victory will thankfully not be repeated in 2025,” former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer told the Washington Examiner. “By this time eight years ago, instead of accepting the results of the election, the Democrats were in full resistance mode, Russian collusion accusations were treated with credibility, the Steele dossier was driving the news, all after the Obama-Biden administration carried out one of the dirtiest transitions ever, in which they leaked to the media the details of a security briefing to Trump, based on the lies contained in the Steele dossier.”

Fleischer added, “Thank goodness the resistance has worn itself down and out and the tradition of a normal, jubilant inauguration seems likely to happen again.”

Adding to the festivities, celebrities including Carrie Underwood and Snoop Dogg, both of whom have criticized Trump in the past, are taking part in inauguration weekend. Underwood will sing “America the Beautiful” during the swearing-in ceremony on the steps of the Capitol on Monday, while Snoop Dogg will perform at the Crypto Ball at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Friday. 

The Village People, whose hit singles “Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A.” play during Trump’s rallies, will perform, too, at the first Turning Point Inaugural Eve Ball.

“As soon as we announced the Village People, we just got absolutely flooded with people that were like, ‘Hey, can I come? Can I come?’ So, you know, it’s further proof of the power of Trump’s brand. I mean, it’s one of his personal favorites, right?” Turning Point spokesman Andrew Kolvert told the Washington Examiner.

There will be a greater embrace of Trump’s presidency within Silicon Valley as well. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are expected at Trump’s inauguration after they and others donated $1 million each to his inaugural committee. The Crypto Ball, for example, is sponsored by BTC Inc., the company that promotes Bitcoin, and Stand With Crypto, Coinbase’s lobbying group.

At the same time, more than a dozen Washington hotels are selling luxury inauguration packages. The Watergate’s $73,500 “Head of State Package,” for instance, includes a roundtrip helicopter ride from New York City and a chauffeur-driven armored Mercedes-Maybach sedan.

In terms of the MAGA Right, conservative publishing company Passage Publishing is hosting the Coronation Ball with the support of Jack Posobiec, who helped with the 2017 DeploraBall. Also scheduled is a Make America Healthy Again Ball, underscoring Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s policy agenda.

“In 2016, the world wasn’t quite sure what to make of Donald Trump and, as a result, it gave birth to the resistance. But in 2024, you’re seeing like this much wider and broader embrace and acknowledgment that Trump, the MAGA movement, the movement he sparked, has not just won politically but culturally and ideologically,” Kolvert of Turning Point USA said. 

“There’s no doubt that within the coalition, there’s going to be differences of opinions of — whether that be on immigration, or trade, or war and military, and there’s going to be any number of different ideological fights that happen,” he continued. “But if you’re going to boil this thing down to a personality contest, I would submit to you that there’s no larger personality to President Trump.”