On Monday, Jan. 20, Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States of America. It would be a major understatement to say that the 2024 election year was stressful for both parties, especially for voters in swing states like Pennsylvania. Voters weighed many issues including the economy, rights for marginalized communities and voter security.
“I want to see a nation where gas and grocery prices are lower, there have been efforts to become more carbon neutral, and we make an effort to be more united and more at peace with foreign forces and those marginalized in our own communities,” sophomore Japanese and political science major Eleni Bridges said.
Her statement was echoed by many on campus.
As Trump himself remarked in the conclusion to his Inaugural address delivered in the Capitol Rotunda, “Americans are explorers, builders, innovators, entrepreneurs and pioneers. The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts. The call of the next great adventure resounds from within our souls.”
So, what has Trump enacted to put this next great adventure into motion?
As the president outlined in his address, he has planned 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods, and 60% tariffs on Chinese goods. The president has also called off oil drilling regulations in Alaska to boost domestic industry. At the inauguration he said, “We will drill, baby, drill.”
These measures, though dramatic in scope, intend to acknowledge the collective, bipartisan calls for ending mass inflation, which the president believes is a result of “overspending and escalating energy prices,” as he said at the inauguration.
Among these measures, Trump has signed an executive order that declared a national emergency on the southern border to fortify our nation’s security and stop drug flow, especially fentanyl according to the White House’s official website. To increase security further, Trump has also attempted to redefine birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment to exclude citizenship for those with parents without legal immigration status, officially granted citizenship, or lawful permanent resident. This order is being challenged in court.
These measures seek to flex the United States’ abilities and strengthen the country’s stature on the world stage. While effective, this strength is a double-edged sword. Those who do not support Trump have critiqued some of his recent moves as infringing on individual rights and echoing fascist ideology.
“The divide in our country, both in politics and outside of it– in academia, in class, in race— is palpable,” first-year English literature and history major Ryleigh Underwood said. “The idolization and celebrity worship of politicians, of billionaires, of CEOs, is nothing if not bizarre.”
Concerns about the influence of wealthy Americans were sparked when Trump introduced a new Department of Government Efficiency, with tech billionaire Elon Musk sitting at the top. Thanking the audience on Monday, Musk saluted the crowd with a straight arm not once, but twice, sparking controversy for its resemblance and arguably mimicry of the World War II-era Third Reich salute. Musk has not commented on the situation.
Among other polarizing advancements, Trump also immediately ended the Green New Deal, withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) and has called to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, which will free the U.S. from limitations on carbon emissions. The president also signed into action that the United States federal government only recognizes two genders: male and female. Alongside this announcement, LGBTQ+ and HIV resource pages have been scrubbed from the White House and government websites.
Despite these uncertainties, the American people will inevitably speak and those who honor freedom and equality for all can do so in the power of being together.
“I think building and fostering a community will be the most important salvation we can give each other right now,” Underwood said.
Time will tell if the gold of President Trump’s supposed “golden age” will show through.
