SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — It's a major weekend of emotions for the nation. For Greg Szmania who made the trip to Washington D.C. from Del Mar, he says it's mostly positive and even optimistic this time around.
Szmania was invited to President-Elect Donald Trump's Inauguration and was among the roughly two-thousand in attendance to Inauguration Ball, one of the events leading up to Trump taking his oath of office on Monday.
"Well, it's really special," says Szmania.
Special but not his first time either. Szmania tells ABC 10News he worked for George H.W. Bush when he was very young and attended his son, George W. Bush's inauguration. But he explains that was during a different time and he wasn't the same person he is today.
"Well, to be perfectly honest, I was not a voter," says Szmania. "I was very neutral toward politics, even though I worked for George H.W. Bush. I didn't vote for him and I didn't vote at the time."
But something changed for Szmania when Donald Trump campaigned for the first time.
"Donald trump was the first president I voted for and I'm proud of that."
Now in this political climate and after two assassination attempts on Trump, Szmania explained 'you never know.' However the security across D.C. and especially the federal building provides Szmania with reassurance.
"The security is incredible. I mean, there are 10 foot fences everywhere down Pennsylvania Avenue and it's just such high security," he says. "Secret Service agents everywhere too."
He also says the mood among those around him on the ground ahead of inauguration is positive.
"They're just really upbeat and optimistic about positive change. But time will tell. We'll see what will happen, what the future holds."
