INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on events tied to Friday’s inauguration of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence (all times local):
4:35 p.m.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb had a prime seat for the inauguration of his predecessor as vice president.
Holcomb sat a few rows from the spot on the inauguration platform where President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence took their oaths of office Friday.
Holcomb was Pence’s lieutenant governor and replaced him as governor on Jan. 9 after winning the November election.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly also attended the inauguration. He said afterward he looked forward to working with Trump to strengthen the economy and protect jobs.
Republican U.S. Rep. Luke Messer took Pence’s place in Congress four years ago. Messer says Pence will be a strong voice for Indiana in the White House.
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4:25 p.m.
A southern Indiana man who kept an American flag at half-staff in his front yard for more than seven years raised it to full-staff following Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Vietnam veteran Ron Himsel tells the Dubois County Herald (https://bit.ly/2jHZpES) he lowered Old Glory to half-staff as a silent protest after he says former President Barack Obama traveled to other countries in 2009 to apologize for America.
Himsel gathered with family and friends Friday afternoon to return the flag to full-staff outside his home in Ireland, a small Dubois County town about 45 miles northeast of Evansville.
He earlier watched Trump’s swearing in as the nation’s 45th president, saying the new president’s message “is what I believe in.”
Himsel says Trump’s message is “about ’We the People’ and not our politicians.”
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12:40 p.m.
As President Donald Trump delivered his inaugural address, a downtown Indianapolis rally was celebrating inclusion.
A couple hundred people attended the Belong Indy rally on Monument Circle. Speakers from a variety of groups declared Friday afternoon that everyone belongs, no matter their identity.
Many people gathered say their presence was a reaction to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Hannah Chen said she felt like “standing up to bullies,” while Aaron Black wanted to send Trump a message that America is an “inclusive country.”
Rally speakers say attention should be focused on immigration, the environment, women’s rights and race issues during Trump’s tenure. They stressed not giving up and the importance of making differing opinions and voices heard.
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