Trump inauguration 2017 vs. 2025: What's changed

Resistance goes quiet

Then: "Resistance" was a buzzword people quite literally showcased on their bodies. Over a million people showed up to women's marches wearing pink "pussy hats," and activist-centered spots like The Outrage popped up selling "My Body, My Choice" shirts.

Now: It's fewer public displays of rage and more nose-to-the-ground work.

• D.C.'s Jan. 18 People's March — from the group behind the Women's March — will likely see far fewer people than eight years ago.

White House of One

Then: Running the White House was the job of the First Extended Family.

• Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, moved to Kalorama to help staff the Oval Office.

Now: Ivanka has said she and her husband will stay out of politics and continue living in Miami with their children.

• Eric Trump will continue to work at the Trump Organization, and Donald Trump Jr. announced last year he'll join a venture capital firm.
• It's the outer orbit who is picking up some official work: Trump has named Donald Trump Jr.'s fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, as his pick for ambassador to Greece.
• Also in the mix: Jared Kushner's father, Charles, as the French ambassador and Tiffany Trump's father-in-law, Massad Boulos, as Middle East adviser.

It's possible we might not even see much of Melania Trump or the first son, Barron. It's been reported that Melania will mostly spend time between Palm Beach and New York, where Barron is in college.

Dark vs. light

Then: Trump's first inauguration was marked by his "American carnage" speech, painting a dark picture of a nation in decline. His evening ceremonies were pared down compared to events held around town for Obama's two inaugurations.

Now: We're seeing TrumpWorld replace motifs of darkness with light. His inaugural gala is the "Starlight Ball."

• And there are more elaborate parties planned, in the town Trump has denounced as "the swamp."

The new Trump Hotel

Then: The glitzy Trump Hotel and nearby watering hole Harry's Bar, a Proud Boy favorite, were the clubhouses for the right.

Now: Both are gone.

• Some insiders guess the suburbs will be a draw over D.C. Others point to The Willard. It gets points for proximity to the White House, plus it was the "command center" for Rudy Giuliani and Steven Bannon ahead of Jan. 6.
• Moreover, there's an incoming Stephen Starr restaurant whose reps say it aims to "resurrect a gilded era of Washington power dining" with tableside martinis, American cooking and "white-tablecloth hospitality with an air of ceremonial pomp."
• Gilded … American … Ceremonial pomp … Sounds Mar-a-Lago-licious.

Yes, but: According to the Wall Street Journal, the incoming First Family is in talks with the leaseholders of the old Trump Hotel to reclaim it.