Lawmakers plan to skip the festivities surrounding the incoming Republican president for various reasons, as Democrats lick their wounds after election season.

Caroline Waterman, a 59-year-old artist in Charlotte, North Carolina, joined her local 'Women's March' the day after Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017 and found a political home, becoming a poll greeter and taking on responsibility for canvassing on behalf of local Democrats.

Democratic lawmakers who boycotted Trump's first inauguration say they feel compelled to go this time, while protests are expected to be a fraction of their 2017 size.