Columbia Journalists Cover the 2025 U.S. Presidential Inauguration

On January 20, 2025, CJS community members reported on the second inauguration of President Donald J. Trump.

January 20, 2025

CJS Alumni Capturing the Moment 

Daniel Arkin, '13 M.S., published a piece for NBC News regarding Donald Trump’s agenda to halt diversity programs. 

Joseph Ax, '06 M.A. Politics, reported on Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown for Reuters, ahead of the ceremony.

Josh Boak, '05 M.S., wrote on the incoming president’s potential executive orders for AP News. 

Justine Calma, '15 M.S. Stabile, reported on Donald Trump's reversal of Joe Biden's 2023 executive order on generative AI safety guidelines for The Verge.

Jill Colvin, '09 M.A. Politics, shared with AP News the four major things that have changed since Donald Trump’s first inauguration. 

Chantelle Lee, '22 M.S. Stabile, provided live updates for Time.

Domenico Montanaro, '07 M.S., highlighted key moments from the ceremony  in an article for NPR. 

Beatrice Peterson, '14 M.S., published a piece for ABC News covering the United States Secret Service and their report of no active threats ahead of the day's events.

Armando Tonatiuh Torres-García, '16 M.S., covered Trump’s executive action plans in a piece for ABC News.

Students Reporting from the Nation’s Capital 

Though still on Winter Break, Columbia Journalism students demonstrated their commitment to hands-on reporting with a trip to Washington, D.C., ahead of Inauguration Day. 

From left to right: Alice Finno, Beatrice Vallieres, Philipp Antony, Manuel Scheuernstuhl, Mariana Hernandez and Andrew Mercein in front of the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2025. The students traveled to Washington, D.C. to cover the second Inauguration of Donald Trump.

On January 18, they covered the People’s March, offering insights into the stories of those advocating for change. The students continued their work on the day of the ceremony, providing an in-depth look into a historic event. From Columbia News Service:

Andrew Mercein, '26 M.S. Part-Time, and Manuel Scheuernstuhl, '25 M.S., covered the crowds facing intense weather and disorganization amid high winds, snow and icy conditions.

Janine AlHadidi, '24 M.S., published a piece covering foreign affairs issues among Trump supporters on inauguration day. 

Beatrice Vallieres, '24 M.S., and Alice Finno, '24 M.S., reported that Washington D.C. merchandise vendors cited low sales due to frigid temperatures, a change in venue and market oversaturation.

Read more here.

Plus, Shalina (Xufang) Cao, '25 M.A. Politics, reported from DC as part of her master’s thesis, interviewing a group of Chinese Americans who supported Donald Trump and had been canvassing for him since 2020.

Insights from the Industry

CJR’s Jon Allsop, '17 M.S., explored the profound effect of “The Big Chill” on the press in The Media Today. 

Plus, Adjunct Associate Professor Alan Chin highlighted photojournalists whose work “reflect the American political story” in “The Images That Led to This Inauguration,” also for CJR. 


This article was last updated on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 10:00 AM.