On January 20th, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States of America. It may come as no surprise that the inauguration has been full of controversy and triumph for the president and his party. We spoke to two Hillcrest students to learn their opinions on Trump and the events surrounding the inauguration.
During Trump’s speech, he stated, “…the golden age of America begins now.” When asked if he believed Trump’s optimistic statement was true, Alex Lynes, a senior at Hillcrest, responded, “While I love the President’s optimism, I wouldn’t jump to assumptions so quickly. There are still many things wrong in our country that need fixing, and the economy takes top priority on that long list. I do hope that these next four years can be a golden age for the United States, however, I don’t want to put a label on the unforeseen. We are a constantly evolving nation, and we should always strive to become better than prior times. So I cannot for sure say whether or not this is the start of an American golden age, but I sure do hope so.” Lynes offers a hopeful, but realistic point of view about Trump’s statement that many may also echo, hoping for a better future and more specifically a better economy.
Another student, who chose to stay anonymous, took a stronger stance against Trump’s confident statements. They stated, “I personally do not believe that Trump’s statement was true. I do not believe the Golden Age of America is starting now. I do not believe that the ‘golden age’ can take place when we have so much violence, so much inequality, and so much disrespect in this country. And by the looks of it, Trump does not plan on addressing these issues- so no, I do not believe his statement to be true.” This student’s statement may resonate with many who feel that Trump is not a leader who will fight for all people and in fact encourages division.
Another key moment was the inaugural sermon during which Bishop Mariann Budde asked Trump to ‘have mercy’ on LGBTQ+ members and migrants during his term in office. Some thought the request was inappropriate, while others found it compelling.
Lynes agrees with the former, “I think that Budde was directing her sermon more towards political rhetoric and less about centering her sermon on God, Jesus Christ, and praying for a good term for the incoming president and a good four years for the nation. What she said toward the end was an obvious dig at Trump, and was inappropriate for an inaugural sermon. I think the Bishop should apologize for her intentional rhetoric and inappropriate comments, because she clearly knew what she was doing. People have nothing to fear under Trump’s administration, because his policies benefit everyone no matter who you are or what you identify as.” While Lynes believes the act was improper, many believe there was no better place or person to comment on Trump and his potential policies.
The second student stated, “I thought that her comments were immensely powerful. She was very well-spoken, and she said what many people in this country are saying. She also delivered her comments with such emotion, such passion. I think it was also extremely telling that a religious person was making these comments. Trump has said time and time again that he is the ‘Christian’ choice. So when a literal bishop asks him to have mercy on those who he plans on attacking, it makes his claims of religious righteousness a little void. His comments have been nothing surprising. He cannot take criticism, he calls her boring and insults her intelligence. He also called her ‘nasty,’ which is a term he uses time and time again to describe women. Any woman that is in a position of power is ‘nasty.’ Any woman that threatens him is ‘nasty.’ His comments are disappointing but not surprising.” This student shows another side of the coin. Many people thought her comments were appropriate, and called out what they viewed as hypocrisy of the president’s words and actions.
A moment that sparked controversy and debate came from Trump’s close advisor and billionaire Elon Musk. During a rally, Musk made a gesture that many have claimed to be a Nazi salute. We asked our interviewees if they believed the gesture was purposeful, and if it was on purpose, what it means for a country built on freedom for all.
Lynes answered, “Elon Musk did not perform a Nazi salute, and to misconstrue his gestures as such is to blindly disregard the real and clear intention behind his actions. The billionaire-turned-government official clearly said right before, ‘My heart goes out to you.’ The gesture he gave was placing his hand over his heart, and stretching his arm out to the crowd to emphasize his statement and his sincere love for the audience. Plenty of politicians and public figures have performed identical or very similar gestures before, but it just so happens that this time the mainstream media is making a big deal about Musk doing it and over-exaggerating the facts of the matter, misinterpreting it as something it is not.” Lynes strongly denies the possibility of Musk making such a gesture, and believes the accusations to be ludicrous.
The second student is much more doubtful that the moment was misinterpreted or misconstrued. They stated, “I do believe that he made that gesture on purpose. I believe that he is extremely insensitive, and while I do not know his exact motivation for making such a hateful gesture, I am almost certain he did it deliberately. It’s not a gesture one ‘accidentally’ makes. I think it means a crumbling in the foundation of freedom in America. The people we have in power do not believe in freedom, and I assure you, in the coming years, we will begin to completely lose the values this country was built on.” If the moment was deliberate there’s no doubt that the second student is valid in their concern for America.
Lastly, during his first few days in office, Trump signed several executive orders and pardons. We asked the students if they believed these actions were necessary. Lynes stated, “4. A crime is a crime. I do not think January 6, 2021 should have happened. Do I think some of those people should be pardoned? No. The law should treat everyone equally no matter what their politics are. At the end of the day, we are all citizens under the same American flag. Our legal system is designed to treat everyone equally with justice under the law. The principle of rule of law is one of the fundamental pillars of American government and democracy. Concerning all the other executive actions the president has made this week, a lot of them are really promising and are great decisions for our national security and economy. Illegal immigration was significantly slowed on Day 1, crime has gone down and public safety has gone up, government transparency has increased, biological facts of man and woman has been upheld on a federal level, various investments worth trillions of dollars have all been made. Our economy has boosted since January 20, respect for our nation on the world stage has improved since January 20, common sense policies have been prioritized since January 20, and peace has started to return to war-torn areas since January 20. I think withdrawing from the Paris Agreement is a good call. We do not need to submit our nation to the regulation and binding control of some international institution. We are an independent and sovereign nation and it’s important we ensure the integrity of that reality. America will handle climate change as America sees fit, not our allies. We make our own decisions as a nation. I think all actions the president has made since his inauguration have been necessary, from declassifying the assassination documents of JFK, RFK, and MLK, to establishing DOGE. All these executive orders will only help our nation start down the right path towards mutual success, collective achievement, and long-lasting prosperity.” While Lynes was critical of the pardons, he seemed to agree with many of the executive orders from the president.
The anonymous student stated, “I do not believe that any of the executive orders Trump has made are necessary for the improvement of America. However, I do think they are necessary in Trump’s mind. Maybe not for America, but they are necessary to him because he ran his campaign on all these grand promises of all these things he would do as soon as he got in office. So even if the orders or harmful, or impossible, they were necessary so that Trump didn’t crack his precious public image. I believe his orders will hurt America. They will hurt our environment, they will hurt our citizens, and they will hurt the freedom of the people in this country.” The student does not believe the president’s actions are necessary or helpful to our nation, but only to Trump and his supporters.
The responses from our students are very insightful on how the current generation feels towards Trump and his policies. They also show a fundamental disagreement on how the country should be run. While our students may not agree with Trump’s policies and actions, they both ultimately want what’s best for our nation. The only way for America to find out if Trump was the right choice to build our nation up is time.
