‘We do not welcome hate’: D.C. residents seek Airbnb blackout for Trump’s inauguration

Washington, D.C., residents are already concerned about Donald Trump coming after their city he’s called a “filthy and crime-ridden embarrassment to our nation.”

Some are striking back, The Washington Post reported. Trump will host his inauguration outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, followed by a parade and several balls and events throughout the city.

City residents have suggested blacking out rentals, leaving only expensive hotels and places in Virginia or Maryland.

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Resident Stacy Kane began the movement along with friends, speaking to community groups and city council members. The goal is “to show Trump supporters who are coming into the DMV that we do not welcome hate, misogyny, or intentions to take over DC.”

In 2020, Trump’s supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol and planted bombs at the Republican and Democratic Party headquarters. Both locations are nested in Capitol Hill neighborhoods. Jan. 6 endangered residents, terrorizing families and those who work in the area.

Inaugurations are typically joyous events with “much-needed January boost[s] for the District’s hospitality businesses at an otherwise slow period as crowds flock to the nation’s capital.”

But people who scared Washingtonians four years ago are returning along with a “president who has made more threats to D.C.’s autonomy than any other chief executive in modern history,” the Post noted.

“We have been discussing and planning for many months in the case that the district has to defend itself and its values,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters at a news conference after Trump was declared the winner.

Kane wanted to “try to make any kind of difference that we can in the situation we find ourselves in as D.C. residents and just as human beings right now,” she told the Post. She has a day job but also operates a two-bedroom rental apartment in her home less than four miles from the Capitol.

When Trump was inaugurated in 2017, the women’s march against him resulted in a 94% occupancy rate, the Post cited Destination DC.

“With a Harris win, the historic perspective would have brought in a huge number of people to the city,” said the group’s CEO, Elliott Ferguson.

He explained that first-term inaugurations generate more interest than repeats. As for Trump’s second, “We’ll have to see,” he said.

While he expects some protest, Ferguson said that most won’t be willing to give up the revenue.

The destruction of Jan 6. cost $2.7 billion, according to a 2023 Government Accountability Office report.

Read the full report here.