Out Like a Lamb: Scenes From the Idaho Capitol on Inauguration Day

Following weeks of threats, warnings, and even a two-day schoolwide lockdown, what really happened on the steps of the Idaho State Capitol on January 20th seemed to be remarkably underwhelming. In D.C., thousands of troops were deployed to the streets to prevent any further attacks on government buildings, and in Boise, only a single state trooper was parked near the steps of the Capitol. After a long day of nationwide tension and cloudy skies, it looked as if the only abnormal occurrences were the various local news stations that appeared, periodically, in Cecil D. Andrus Park to report on the presumed impending conflict that never came. In fact, only a single elderly Trump supporter ambled through the grass, not even pausing to look towards the statehouse. Another man relaxed on a park bench, reading a book. Many supporters of the former president expected a grand exit, an inspiring act of defiance. He was supposed to be dragged out of the White House kicking and screaming, in his own words. When the time came, however, he left peacefully, if not passively. It was a quiet end to a presidency that could only have been described as loud.