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With President-elect Donald Trump sworn in on January 20th, longtime supporter Kid Rock is calling on his fans to join him in celebration. After announcing that he would be playing seven arena shows in the Midwest through April, he called the celebration “overdue.” But he also called on the country to come together. “I still believe that now is not the time to gloat, it’s definitely time to try and unite this country. It’s definitely time to celebrate with some other like-minded, common sense, hard-working patriots who unapologetically love this country. Come one, come all.” Kid Rock was one of the entertainers who performed on the eve of Trump’s inauguration.

Speaking prior to the performance, Kid Rock said Trump’s return to the oval office felt like a “rebirth.” “It feels like the rebirth of our nation. Felt like that at the UFC fight after the election, everybody was together, you know, walking to the ring. There’s just this overwhelming sense … you’ve heard it a million times, that America’s back,” he told Fox News. He also commented on how more and more celebrities are voicing their support for Trump. “Now they feel it’s safe to go in the water after dipping their toe in it for four to eight years. I mean, welcome to the party, like I’ve said. Better to have them on board than not,” he said.

He noted that Americans have experienced one Trump presidency, which should make them more at ease. “[People] saw what he did the first time. And when you really look at the facts and the numbers and how great it was, and it’s only going to be better from there. The feeling’s everywhere. Especially if you’re on our side – it’s through the roof. But I think people, all reasonable people, I feel, you know, are understanding, just if we would have got a reasonable Democrat,” he said. He noted that there were still some “fruitcakes.”

Trump’s second term is being greeted with a sense of less hostility. The People’s March, which marched in protest against Trump’s inauguration, found itself in considerably smaller numbers than when Trump was inaugurated in January 2017. “I was here eight years ago. This is 1% of that,” said Anneka Hall, who came for this year’s inauguration. Many attending the protest seemed to feel the shift in public sentiment. “Eight years ago, I still had hope,” said protester Mary Kraemer. “This weekend is far from the march I attended eight years ago. That had hope and fight.”

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