With the presidential election over and the inauguration of Donald Trump complete, many Americans now wonder what will come next for the United States. While the president promised to improve all aspects of American life, will he truly implement change, or were these simply empty promises? Will he actually bring down prices as he stops inflation and deports countless illegal immigrants? Throughout his inauguration speech, he highlighted all of the current problems with the country, even going so far as to claim that the “golden age of America” was beginning with his presidency. Whereas his supporters were enthusiastic about such words, others were doubtful and accustomed to his rambling. Either way, it is certain that this inauguration was unlike any other and signals the conflicting opinions of citizens across the nation.
“With Trump coming in for his second term, I really do not know what the future looks like for America. We need someone who can lead us not only to be successful economically, but in all aspects of the government. I think people were set on voting for him because of his promises to make the country thrive economically, but who knows if he will really accomplish this. I can only hope that he will help the country, but I doubt it as of right now,” junior Adriana Garcia said.
Just moments after being sworn in as the 60th president of the U.S. and delivering his inaugural address, Trump broke out into another seemingly unplanned speech in which he spoke on a broad range of topics. While he was only supposed to express his gratitude for his supporters, he instead revived old grievances such as the “stolen 2020 election” and the January 6 insurrection. Insisting that he was the only one with the power to correctly clarify these issues, he claimed that the insurrection rioters were “hostages” and that the prior election was “totally rigged.” These topics were entirely unexpected at the inauguration, and this speech actually ended up being longer than his original inauguration address, which ran for half an hour. His bizarre post-inauguration oration left shocked expressions on the faces of many Democrats in the room, but especially on those of the Biden-Harris administration.
“Trump’s inauguration was definitely a monumental moment for our country. Even though he was already in office before, nobody really knows what to expect at this time. He has the power to change everything, and it looks like thats exactly what he intends to do. He wants to dismantle everything Biden has done and make it his own. I think it is a little overwhelming to watch, and if I am being honest I am really scared for the future of the country right now” sophomore Athanasios Grillas said.
Throughout his second speech, Trump did not seem to worry about disrespecting former president Joe Biden who was sitting right there. By including critical comments about Biden’s presidency, Trump obviously aimed to flex his power as the new man in office. He blatantly stated that those who were pardoned by Biden in last minute measures were “political thugs” and that they were guilty of “very bad crimes.” While Biden had never made remarks about Trump’s first term as president, Trump jumped at the opportunity to publicly embarrass his predecessor. This left some American viewers distraught by his unpredictable behavior, but others did not have an issue with the disparaging remarks. Although it is not unusual for Trump to deliver long accusatory speeches out of the blue, this one was a particular surprise, for it was his presidential inauguration. It was a day planned to encourage a peaceful transfer of power, but sadly many democrats did not leave the Capitol building pleased with the new leader and the future of the United States.
“I would not say that I am either for or against any political party, but what Trump is planning on doing as president is definitely worrying. He wants to put his own twist on our fundamental rights and change our well functioning government into something new. He claims that this is going to make America better, but I really do not see how it is going to work. The entire future of our country is in his hands,” junior Felipe Yamada said.
Following his inauguration speeches, president Trump returned to the White House to sign his first executive orders. They included things such as pardoning nearly all of the 1,600 rioters of the insurrection regardless of what each had done, temporarily suspending the TikTok ban and withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization. Additionally, he reinterpreted a key constitutional amendment, instructing his administration to now cease granting citizenship to U.S. born children of undocumented migrants. With all of these immediate changes, the majority of the nation remained shocked by his speedy agenda. Whether Trump will make any changes to positively impact the daily lives of Americans remains to be seen, for now he seems to be focused mainly on prior issues and foreign disputes rather than on the economy and immigration.
“Trump has done so much in the past that I can not confidently say that he deserves the title as president again. After watching the inauguration, I am even more disheartened by his actions and plans for the United States. He seems to be quite unorganized and unprepared for his job, and I do not know what is going to happen in the future. Seeing him be sworn in as president just made me more nervous than I already was. All I can do right now is hope for the best,” junior Alyssa Dopico said.
With so many mixed opinions regarding the second presidential term of Trump, the country is certainly in a time of political divide. Trump’s inauguration was viewed by some as a success and by others as a complete disaster. It certainly was not a normal presidential inauguration, though, and many see it as an omen of what is to come. With the well-being of America in the hands of Trump, the country must now wait to see what the future holds. The second Trump era has begun, and what he will do with such absolute power nobody can predict.
