On Monday, January 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States for the second time. Leading into his presidency, Trump proposed many ideas including widely expanding oil drilling, mass deportation of illegal immigrants, and implementing tariffs on foreign countries. In his inaugural address following the swearing in ceremony, President Trump pledged to lead America into a “golden age,” by creating a nation that is “proud, prosperous, and free.” Trump followed his address by signing a series of controversial executive orders, such as banning birthright citizenship, pulling out of the Paris Accord, and withdrawing from the World Health Organization.
President Trump’s plans have left students with mixed emotions.
“I agree with Trump’s idea to expand oil drilling. I like gas when it’s cheap. With tariffs, he could be trying to limit people who are corrupt, I’m not really sure. The deportation will cause a lot of change, because a lot of labor intensive work will not be able to be employed. He will try to follow through with his plans I imagine, like with the wall,” senior Jackson Martin said.
As for the overall impact of Trump’s plans, Martin is skeptical.
“I’m undecided, I’m just hoping for the best,” Martin said.
Other students, like senior Zachary Roman, believe that President Trump’s policies will be extremely beneficial for the country, and the promised “golden age” is to come.
“I agree with Trump. Illegal immigration has been spiking. We need more domestic oil production. With tariffs, we need to be harsher on other countries to make sure they don’t get the upper hand on us,” Roman said.
As far as the future of these decisions, Roman believes President Trump will follow through with his plans.
“He already signed a lot of executive orders on his first day. … If you are getting gas in your car, it might go down a little bit, and he already unbanned TikTok,” Roman said.
Trump’s work to unban TikTok has recently earned him popularity, but students like junior Noah Curtis believe President Trump’s policies are not good and will not result in an impact to the country.
“I disagree with his policies. I think mass deportation is wrong. I do like the idea of expanding oil drilling, we need more oil,” said Curtis.
Although he disagrees with Trump, Curtis is sure that Trump will attempt to turn his plans into reality.
“I think he will try to follow through with his policies, because he will want to get his way. I don’t think he will be able to implement tariffs, that would be hard to do successfully. I don’t think there will be any major change in the country, but it might be a little bumpy,” Curtis said.
While it is still so early into Trump’s Presidency, impacts from his first day actions are yet to be seen. His executive order banning birthright citizenship has already been temporarily blocked by a federal judge. With differentiating opinions on President Trump’s plans and actions, only time will tell what impacts are truly in store for the American people.
