The hair was the giveaway.
The man in the black coat, white shirt and red tie who raised his right hand as if to take the oath of the nation’s highest office on Sunday sported a military trim.
And that was just one way to tell that Greg Lowery, a 53-year-old vocalist in the U.S. Army band, was no Donald Trump, and Sunday’s inauguration rehearsal at the U.S. Capitol wasn’t the real thing.
But the sergeant major was a game stand-in for the soon-to-be 45th president as were other band members given prominent roles. The goal was to practice Inauguration Day events so everything goes off as flawlessly — and on time — as possible for the actual swearing-in on Friday.
Lowery, who said his role was to “look the part as much as possible,” said the substitutes were chosen primarily because they are as tall as the people they were playing. He bought a new, red tie for the assignment, though he acknowledged it wasn’t Trump brand.
“It’s just a real honor for all of us to be here this morning,” Lowery said.
Spc. Sara Corry, who arranges music for the band, wore a white peacoat and nude pumps to stand in for Trump’s wife, Melania. Corry, 28, said her shoes were new, and while Melania Trump’s fashion choices will be a topic of conversation, Corry didn’t know what designer she was wearing. Unlike Melania Trump, a native of Slovenia, Corry said she’s from Capistrano Beach, California. Her husband-for-the-day, Lowery, has two sons, unlike Trump who has five children.
The faux first couple was joined by Master Sgt. Neil Ewachiw, 47, and Master Sgt. Leigh Ann Hinton, 50, band vocalists who were standing in for Vice President-elect Mike Pence and his wife, Karen.
During Sunday’s dry run, the stand-in president-elect and vice president-elect waved to rows of empty chairs and raised their hands as if they were being sworn in. They spent some time adjusting their positions so that cameras set to capture the real swearings-in could get the best angle, and then workers marked the spots for the actual players.
Around them, the Capitol was still being readied for Inauguration Day. Workers unfurled a large flag between a pair of the Capitol’s columns. Some red, white and blue bunting remained draped in plastic to protect it, and the sound of sawing and hammering could be heard intermittently during gaps in the patriotic music.
Not everyone participating in the pageant needed to be a good match for the person they were playing, with men playing women and women playing men. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who will swear in Pence and became the court’s second African-American member when he joined the court in 1991, was played Sunday by a woman with long, blonde hair.
One closer match for his counterpart was 12-year-old Charlie Blunt, the son of Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, who was drafted to play Trump’s 10-year-old son Barron. Asked after the rehearsal whether he had any pointers for Barron, Charlie said: “just smile and don’t slouch.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
This is a comment for the “stars” that are refusing to attend the inauguration, or perform on the behalf of the PEOTUS.
They need to understand their position. In the days of the kings, the jesters were only there for entertainment only. They
were never asked their opinion, only there to entertain. The inauguration appearence of the “jesters” is for entertainment only.
Your absolutely correct and this still stands true in proper conduct today. Actors and musicians are to entertain and not speak. They only know one thing to perfection and that is the job they do. As far as politics, they are so far in left field as to be illiterate in knowledge.
Diamond and Silk said it to perfection, “You entertain us and we can turn you off when we are tired of you”! Not verbatim but the jest of the sentence.
Message to the left: If you don’t like it, lump it!
Yeah- Better yet “LEAVE” the country!!!
Hollywood wtf cares what you think
You are actors!
You don’t done anything to help our country
Leave the USA and take jorje n Acosta
With you
The humpy dumpy crew couldn’t save the hill or help her win!!!
Push the plastic reset button is all
Show n tell just like Hill and Hollywood !!
Go Fedx
Presidential inaugurations are times of celebration for our nation. It’s good to see that plans are underway to make sure it all goes off without any flaws.
You will not be missed. There will be too many good patriotic American loving people there to notice whether you are there or not. Your not showing up changes nothing. President elect Trump will be President Trump with you or without you there. Come next week, it will be a whole new ball game. Have a great weekend. We sure are going to.
I do not understand what you are referring to. M
Email address is marked with an * as required field and yet you say it will not be published. Please advise. Thanks
please remember…. what goes around comes back around… and Actors and Musicians are not exempt.
Don’t forget to keep our President elect in your prayers.. So many of the crazed Democrat’s are out to destroy him. We need to ask God to protest him and keep him and his family safe.
After all quite a few good honest people died during the Clinton administration and even under Obama’s watch.. Remember Foster?
Lets make sure all the names of the anti-trump hollywood establishment are posted, so everyone can know what movies and other sources of entertainment, we the real people, know what and who they should be boycotting. That should also apply to all the racist politicians, they are real rats in this equation and this should be their last term in office. GO TRUMP. Martin Korab