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Sharpshooting Ridley Park resident Michelle Mattus went to the inaugural events so we didn’t have to.
Delco resident Michelle Mattus enjoying Inauguration Day festivities in Washington, D.C.
I somehow missed my invite to the inauguration of President Donald Trump and all the jubilant festivities surrounding it. Like the rest of you who werenât boycotting, I watched it all unfold on television. (I loathe Donald Trump, but history is history.) Fortunately, my old friend Michelle Mattus went.
Mattus is a Ridley Park resident who spends her Saturday nights dining at Rosemary and Sundays trap-shooting at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Essington. Iâm told sheâs an exemplary shot. She also ran unsuccessfully â but not unimpressively â as a Republican for the Pennsylvania State House in 2023.
Here, her dispatch from the Trump inauguration events:
People everywhere I went were just simply happy. They were calmly smiling. It felt a lot like Philadelphia in the weeks after the Eagles won the Super Bowl. There was very little focus on âthe Democratsâ or âthe liberals.â Everyone I encountered was broadly focused on hope.
The PA Inaugural Ball, which I attended, was just a nice cocktail reception filled with Republican politicians and insiders. I bought a ticket for the PA Inaugural Ball. There are only three balls that are actually sanctioned: the Starlight Ball, which is very high-end, VIP; the Commander-in-Chief Ball, which is for members of the military and their families; and the Liberty Ball, which is for everyone else. You canât buy a ticket to those balls. You have to be invited.
I actually brought an extra evening gown with me in case I wound up getting an invite to the Liberty Ball. And thatâs exactly what happened after I got to D.C. Someone from Trumpâs Pennsylvania campaign staff invited me. So I didnât crash! I swear!
The Liberty Ball was so much fun. There was a DJ at first. Then Nelly performed. There were all sorts of photo-op backdrops highlighting a year in the life of Trump. You could get your photo taken next to his mugshot. You could get your photo taken with Trump in the McDonaldâs takeout window. It was hilarious. It was a fun party atmosphere. Definitely not elitist. Quite the opposite. I tend to be more reserved, and the tone was irreverent â in a good way. At the end of the ball, Trump and Melania came out and danced.
WASHINGTON, DC â JANUARY 20: President Donald Trump walks on stage with his wife First Lady Melania Trump at the Liberty Inaugural Ball on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump attends some of the inaugural balls after taking the oath as the 47th president. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
I originally had tickets to the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony. But with the change in location to the arena, even though I received âticketsâ to that, they were meaningless. The crowds were massive. I was in line by 8 a.m. and by noon, we had made it to right outside the arena to watch the ceremony on a screen outside with tens of thousands of supporters.
Michelle Mattus holding her tickets to the inauguration of Donald Trump
As soon as Trump had taken the oath, we started making our way back to the hotel for a viewing party. It was cool to be âin publicâ for the oath of office. But I was ready to get off my feet and actually hear the speeches.
I had a wonderful time and Iâm glad I got to experience it.
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