However, the event at the U.S. Capitol on Friday did have some levity, as former President George W. Bush struggled with a poncho as rain began to fall during Trump’s inaugural speech.

It's not the first time a poncho has caused a Republican some grief. In 2012, then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney poked fun at NASCAR fans wearing ponchos when he said, "I like those fancy raincoats you bought. Really sprung for the big bucks." 

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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