this is "nightline." >> tonight, true to trump. faithful followers. >> want to show him how much we appreciate him. >> despite a second impeachment and pending trial. >> i will support him in 2024 if he decides to run. >> how and why the now ex-president still holds on to hearts and minds. political coattails. inside the inauguration fashion statements with secret messages woven in. >> there's this preconceived idea of what black designers do. >> and how everyone is smitten with bernie sanders sitting with his mittens. safe at home. remembering a baseball legend. age is just a number.

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good evening. thank you for joining us. contesting a certified election, accused of inciting insurrection, facing possible impeachment conviction would probably test even the mightiest of politician. but perhaps not the newest former president. tonight we look at steadfast supporters, who in trump they trust.

for many trump supporters, this week was the time to say farewell to the president they voted for. as president trump arrived in west palm beach on wednesday, he was greeted with the tears of loyal supporters. >> it's a sendoff, congratulations, it's a celebration, it's a welcome home. >> he stood up for us, now we want to show him how much we love him and that we support him. >> reporter: among the crowd that day, richard snow. >> it was a bit sad. i think most trump supporters will admit a few tears were shed. >> reporter: a parallel celebration as the rest of the country watched the 46th president of the united states be sworn in. >> i, joseph robinette biden -- >> reporter: president joe biden calling for the country to come together. >> unity is the path forward, and we must meet this moment as the united states of america. >> reporter: a desperate plea after a month that started with the failed insurrection at the u.s. capitol followed by the

second impeachment of donald trump, charged with inciting that mob. on the heels of all of this, we supporters from three different states to pose the question, where do we go from here, and is unity possible at a time deep divide? joe biden is now the president of the united states of america, what do you think? >> i will never say anything bad about him. i will watch and take it all in. he is my president, he is our president. good people have to wish only the best success for his administration, because it affects all of us. >> reporter: i first met retired delaware businessman richard snowden at a minneapolis rally in 2019. it would be one of 74 trump rallies he would attend over the last five years. he spent more than $30,000 of his own money traveling to them. >> five years ago, a year ago when we met today, you were drinking the donald trump kool-aid, and sounds like you're still drinking it. >> well, i think donald trump is

a tremendous american patriot. i've never been a kool-aid drinker. >> last time we talked, i think you did say you were drinking the kool-aid. >> i said what? >> brother, our conversation on videotape -- >> we make up every day thanking the lord that donald trump is our president. >> wow. >> yeah, we love him. >> you drain the kool-aid a gallon at a time, sounds like. >> yeah, unsweetened, too. >> i'll allow you to correct me on that stand, but two years later, i'm not drinking kool-aid, i'm still a big supporter. i will support him in 2024 if he decides to run. >> fair to say you're no longer drinking the trump kool-aid but you're willing to have coffee with joe biden? >> yes, yes. >> reporter: richard says even though he accepts biden as president, he still has some skepticism about the election. >> the election results said that trump lost, the courts have said that trump lost, those who recount the votes said he lost. but a lot of folk like you just

still don't believe he lost. >> well, i -- i've accepted it, though. i don't believe it -- there was funny business, no question about it. but we have to move on. that's what i'm doing, i'm moving on. i'm on the trump train, but i'm moving on. >> reporter: a poll conducted after election in november showed more than three-quarters of trump supporters believe the baseless allegations that biden's win was due to voter fraud. here in the suburbs of raleigh, north carolina, evangelical pastor chad harvey says he's trying to help this congregation come to terms with a new at a time, starting by confronting all the disinformation. sounds like these last couple of weeks, christening babies, conducting funerals, you've had to be the misinformation police? >> yes, it's been interesting. there's been frustration i guess directed at me bought i have to be the bearer of bad news and

say, i don't think trump is going to swoop in at the last minute. it doesn't do us good for the wider world to see evangelicals getting sucked into all kinds of conspiracy theories about how trump is going to serve four more years. ♪ >> reporter: harvey estimates about 90% of his congregation at cross assembly church voted for trump. we were with him just days before the election. at the time, putting his trust in the republican candidate. >> like it or not, donald trump's policies are more in line with evangelical, pentecostal, conservative theology than joe biden's is. >> what was this wednesday like for your congregation, when your members saw joe biden put his hand on the family bible and take the oath of office that he is, in fact, our president? >> yeah, for some folks it was bittersweet. i don't think it was the inauguration itself that concerned some evangelicals, particularly in my congregation. i think maybe some of the initial executive orders that were seen coming down the

line -- it's causing some concern in the evangelical community. >> reporter: harvey also raises concerns over the recent appointment of dr. rachel levine as biden's assistant secretary of health, the first openly trans woman to be confirmed by the u.s. senate. >> to see an individual who really is the antithesis of the evangelical view of human sexuality, the evangelical view of the traditional family, now be elevated to the number two position in the health department -- i do think there's some concern. >> i ask this question not only as a journalist, but i ask this question as a person of faith who takes my faith very seriously, also as a person of color. that part of what i hear in your language and in the views of many of your congregation was the same argument that evangelicals made about people who look like me, 40 years ago, 70 years ago, that somehow black people, people of color, didn't belong. part what was i hear you saying now, at least for me, rings of that hypocrisy.

>> this is not a white concern. this is a conservative evangelical concern that really transcends racial lines. >> there was a time in the history of evangelical church where the line was race. >> yes. >> that if you were white, you were here, if you were black, you were here. now the evangelical line is about sexuality. that if you are perceived to be a heterosexual person, you are here in relation to a child of god. but if you are transgender, you are less a child of god. so to me, again, it sounds like both speak of a spirit of -- of, not all of us are welcome. >> right, right. that's the beautiful thing about, by definition, evangelicals are scripture-centered. so scripture never denigrates an individual based on color, scripture never separates people out as one race being superior than others. scripture does, though, differentiate right and wrong. >> it makes me think, with all

these issues that still divide our nation, how can joe biden or anybody else, any other politician, possibly bridge that divide? >> yeah, the answer is he can't. i don't think donald trump can do it, i don't think joe biden can do it. >> reporter: in washington, d.c., president biden signing a slew of executive orders during his second day in office, focusing on economic recovery for families and small businesses hard hit by the pandemic. >> these small businesses, they are hurting badly, and they account for nearly half of the entire u.s. workforce. >> reporter: business owners amy thomas and husband lloyd among those struggling. aztr an hour wners of pecan north of austin, texas. we first met them in april. they were reopening after a seven-week lockdown. >> the month of february, we had $20,000 in sales. the month of march, i had less than $1,000.

>> reporter: amy says she received federal aid and small business loans during the pandemic, but it wasn't easy getting her money. >> it was rather difficult to find where you were supposed to go, which source you were to actually fill out the paperwork. but we did do that, and i was able to receive some money. >> reporter: among biden's initiatives today, setting up benefit delivery teams to help small businesses navigate complex federal and state programs. but amy, who voted for trump, says she's skeptical of it. >> i think on paper it might really be good, but are we creating another bureaucracy with this? >> reporter: amy hopes small businesses will remain a priority for the new administration. >> let's move forward. let's heal. let's get businesses back open. and let's support the small guy. i'm asking for a chance. >> reporter: all across america, all sides want a chance at their version of a better america. all agree america's deep divide

did not start with donald trump. and with his impeachment trial looming next week, trump supporters say that divide will not end with president joe biden either. coming up, new administration, new frontiers in fashion. timeless inauguration looks with tales to tell. at it actually was. dust mite droppings? ewww. dead skin cells? gross! so now, i grab my swiffer heavy duty sweeper and dusters. dusters extends to 6 feet to reach way up high... to grab, trap and lock away gross dust. nice! for dust on my floors, i switch to sweeper. the heavy duty cloths reach deep in grooves to grab, trap and lock dust bunnies... no matter where they hide. no more heebie jeebies. phhhhew. glad i stopped cleaning and started swiffering.

with a new administration in the white house, there's a change in washington. a new governing style. here's abc's deborah roberts.

>> reporter: with the usual pomp of inauguration scaled back this year, fashion seemed to grab the spotght in the nation's capital. from vice president kamala harris' bold choice of purple by christopher john roberts, to michelle obama's show-stopping monochromatic sergio hudson ensemble, and first lady dr. jill biden's sparkly blue markarian coat, eyes were glued not just to the administration but its look, too. >> vice president harris deciding that she was going to wear black designers for the inauguration was obviously a very conscious decision, and it was one that automatically elevates those designers in the public imagination. >> reporter: it was a day packed with symbolism and intention, from the red, white, and blue of the performers, to that gilded dove, to the vp's nieces in cheetah print coats in honor of their aunty.

and 22-year-old national poet lawyer yet, in gold earrings gifted to her by oprah, who gifted earringings to another poet in 1993. harris attended the covid memorial at the national mall in a camo casual coat by gene genee raymond, son of haitian immigrants who hails from new york. >> for me, what was so really special was everybody's nod to american fashion. this new generation of black designers who have been blazing a trail. it was really special for kamala to sort of show her support and also show that she, you know -- she sees that change. >> reporter: also from new york, the first lady's quiet evening look, crafted in the city's struggling garment district by urguayen immigrant gabriela

hurst, an embroidery of flowers representing all 50 states. >> this is what we are, a nation of immigrants. we tend to see established names at the inauguration, and i think it was really wonderful for dr. jill biden to choose a new name, a sort of up-and-coming name on the scene. this is a moment when not only is it an entire country watching, but the world is watching. >> reporter: 36-year-old sergio hudson, the creator of two inaugural looks, including harris' sleek evening ensemble, the moment was about ushering in a new era of emerging designers. to be a young black designer and to have your designs on the world stage like that yesterday, not once but twice, what was that like? >> to be honest with you, it was -- a relief. and i feel like by vice president harris wearing three black designers, yet you can't

carry a black designer. yes, you can pay a substantial amount of money for a black designer's clothing. >> reporter: hudson is no strategier to the spotlight. a native of north carolina, he's been making a name for himself over the years, dressing celebrities like beyonce, amal clooney, kendall jenner, issa rae. >> you've dressed a lot of notable women. now people know your name, sergio hudson. has the phone been ringing off the hook? >> yes, my phone is ringing off the hook, and i'm not keeping up with it. >> reporter: keeping up with the buzz generated by former first lady michelle obama, who shook up social media in that merlot-colored ensemble. >> it was the moment we've been waiting for. because a lot of -- people think if you just dress celebrities, it translates to success for your business. but that's not the truth. it's dressing the right celebrity at the right time at the right events. >> reporter: but it wasn't just the glitz that grabbed the

attention. just ask the accidental fashionista, vermont senator bernie sanders. those handmade mittens which launched a thousand memes, a rewear from the campaign trail, knitted with love by vermont second grade teacher jen ellis. just like those hand warmers, another accessory causing a stir, the $2,000 footwear worn by the husband of vp harris' niece, meena. so many moments, so many dreams realized. especially sergio hudson, who's hopeful this moment of history leads to lasting change in the design world. >> i have daughters, black daughters. and i just thought about them in that moment. like wow, like now my niece and my daughters will have someone to look to and say, she broke the glass ceiling. it's the honor of my career so far. >> our thanks to deborah. up next, honoring a home run

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and finally tonight, remembering baseball giant and civil rights champion hank aaron. here's abc's steve osunsami. >> reporter: he will forever be remembered for this mighty swing. >> fastball, a high drive into deep left center field. buckner goes back to the fence, it is gone! >> reporter: that helped replace a white man with a black man in the record books. this was the call that night in georgia in 1974 when hank aaron slugged his way past the legendary babe ruth with 715 career home runs, and his record of 755 would stand for 30 long years. >> a black man is getting a standing ovation in the deep south for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. >> reporter: but it needs to be said that hank aaron overcame a whole lot more than a baseball record. he was heckled by racist white fans and players.

people were promising to kidnap his children. and the death threats came pouring in the mail. >> i couldn't open a letter for a month. it had to be opened by the fbi or somebody else. i couldn't let that stand in my way. >> reporter: henry lewis aaron grew up poor in alabama, where he had to make his own baseball bats with tree limbs. it was when black athletes were lucky if they could make to it the negro leagues, which were separate and certainly not equal to the majors. >> i played with some ball players that knew how to play the game. and they taught me an awful lot. >> reporter: mr. aaron was unshakeable, living up to the great responsibility he felt for how he represented black americans. he became a successful businessman, gave millions to schools and charities, and just weeks ago was part of an effort encouraging black americans to get vaccinated for the coronavirus. >> it's just a small thing that

can help as wezillions of peopl this country. >> reporter: in his later years he'd say he wanted to be remembered the most for the lives he helped change. >> i think that i want to be remembered as someone who was able to forget about baseball, but be able to help mankind. >> the great hank aaron was 86. and it was hammerin' hank who lived, he said, by a very simple motto. in baseball, like in life, when you're in a slump, keep swinging. that's