FARGO-"Excited" and "optimistic" are a few of the words local supporters of Donald Trump are using to describe their emotions as he becomes the 45th president of the United States.

And just as supporters of Barack Obama said when he entered office eight years ago, Trump backers said "hope" is what they feel about his impending presidency.

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Trump is being sworn in at noon local time Friday, Jan. 20, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Brad Shaffer, a registered civil engineer and former Fargo City Commission candidate, said he's encouraged by the shift Trump represents.

"I'm probably as excited as I've ever been for anyone coming in," he said.

Conner Swanson, a graduate student at North Dakota State University and self-described "LGBT Republican," said change is what he's looking forward to the most.

"The last eight years were good and bad, but not good enough," he said.

At the time of Trump's inauguration, the Pew Research Center reports a public view of a country deeply fractured along partisan lines. Pew's research shows that 86 percent of those surveyed described Americans as more politically divided today than in the past.

While Trump's entrance into office is being met with disdain and contempt by some, supporters are abuzz with the possibilities ahead.

Eric Spanier of Moorhead is excited about having less government and more fiscal responsibility under Trump. Even though Trump has a well-known coarse side, it's not a deal-breaker for him.

"He's probably not the perfect guy, but he's the right guy to be able to do this," Spanier said.

'Not a politician'

Spanier is a hockey dad and father of three who sells electrical distribution products.

Trump's platform is Spanier's platform: bringing manufacturing businesses back to the country, securing the nation's borders and tackling immigration issues, among others.

He thinks race relations and respect for law enforcement took a turn for the worse under Obama because of how Obama responded to incidents involving police and African-Americans.

"Obama was on the wrong side of every one of these," he said.

Spanier is optimistic that racial tensions will improve under Trump's watch.

He acknowledged the inappropriate comments Trump has made about women, saying, "I do believe it's locker room talk and it happens with the fairer sex as well."

But he thinks those comments and Trump's statements about immigrants were blown out of proportion by the media.

"He's not a polished speaker, not a politician," Spanier said. "He's going to put his foot in his mouth now and then."

Pro-LGBT a plus

The fact that Trump has never held political office doesn't bother Paula Ekman, a retired flight attendant from Fargo. In fact, it's a positive.

"(I like) having a political outsider who's not burdened by cronyism or favors, and who challenges the status quo," Ekman said.

She also wants to see the Dakota Access Pipeline issue resolved.

Energy is also a big deal for Swanson. His graduate student work at NDSU is in natural resource management, and previous generations of his family in the Bowman, N.D., area were coal miners.

Swanson thinks Trump's pro-oil and fossil fuel stance will create more jobs in the energy sector.

One aspect about Trump that some people fear doesn't worry Swanson at all.

Trump is the most favorable LGBT candidate or nominee the Republican party has had, Swanson said.

"He will help the party be less anti-LGBT and move on to other issues," he said.

Trump will 'get things done'

Working as an engineer, Shaffer said Trump's reputation as one who "builds things" is appealing.

"Maybe people don't totally agree with how he goes about things, but he gets results from what he does," Shaffer said.

He believes Trump won't be beholden to special interests, and will mostly be guided by his patriotism and concern for the country prospering.

Shaffer does take issue with Trump's late-night Twitter posts, describing Trump's recent response to criticism from actress Meryl Streep as "childish."

"I think his skin has got to be thicker than that, based upon where he's been," Shaffer said.

After the dust settles though, he thinks Trump will take a more common-sense approach and lead the country down a more prosperous road.

"It's going to be different from the last eight years, that's for sure," Shaffer said.