By Elijah Horman
President Donald Trump is a figure who has generated significant debate, with his inauguration and initial days in office sparked just that amongst our campus and local communities.
On Jan. 20, President Trump was sworn in to his second term in the Oval Office, now accompanied by Vice President JD Vance. The initial days of the Trump presidency saw several executive orders have been signed including delaying the TikTok ban, removing DEI programs in the federal government, enhancing border security and more.
Jailin Williams, a freshman business administration major, shared their thoughts on the initial actions of the Trump administration.
“It’s very upsetting. Separating families—children, women, and men—is depressing, Williams said. “ A lot of people these days are very stuck on the core family values, so it’s gonna be, you know, gone soon with most people.”
Not everyone shares a negative viewpoint of those initial days though. After Donald Trump’s first days as US president, Thomas Cook Darrell, a family physician in Fuquay Varina NC, shared his thoughts on the new administration’s early actions.
“I’ve been quite pleased to see him take quick and decisive actions, particularly through his executive orders,” he said.
Caleb Husmann, a political science professor at William Peace also weighed in on the early actions of the Trump presidency.
“The role of executive orders has increased a ton, and so all of the past presidents have been doing more and more within their first few weeks, Husmann said. “He’s maybe done more, though, just kind of bold moves, executive order wise, than any recent president that I can think of. So I would guess his fans are gonna love that.”
In addition to actions taken once Trump entered the oval office, the inauguration ceremony took a departure from tradition and was held inside. This was due to the polar winds dropping temperatures around the time of the ceremony.
“ I mean, that is, like, a big deal, right? I mean, because traditionally, it takes place in front of a huge crowd and all that,” Husmann said. “Oh, yeah. So that is a pretty big difference, right? Trump likes a crowd too.”
The indoor ceremony is a departure from tradition, but many seem more indifferent to the setting electing to care about the speeches content.
“I thought it was a very nice ceremony,” Darell said. “I liked his speech, because I think he outlined the things he wanted to accomplish, which were the things he mentioned repeatedly in his campaign.”
Quote Credits: Caitlin Corll, Eduardo Lemus, Jadin Williams