Breaking from the normality set by his predecessors, San Jose councilman Lan Diep introduced a new method of swearing in. Diep was sworn in with his right hand in the air while holding a movie-prop replica of Marvel’s Captain America’s shield in his left. Diep is a self-proclaimed comic book nerd, and thinks that Captain America “embodies the ideals of America.”

The Mercury News, an online and print newspaper in California, conducted an online poll, and out of 1,669 votes, 1,133 said that Diep’s action was “hilarious and gutsy,” 437 said that it was “not such a smart idea” and the other 99 said “no opinion” as of Monday.

The San Jose councilman was not trying to protest President Donald Trump and his ideals, as some perceived. Instead, Diep says that he was waiting to see what Trump did with immigration policies and the construction of the wall on the Mexican border to cast his judgement on the president. His justification for bringing the shield was, “I think it’s a symbol of what’s positive,” he said, “in this darkened political landscape.”