On Jan. 20, Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America, was sworn into office.
At his inauguration, he gave a speech describing what he plans to do during his presidency and his dream for the US.
“We will move with purpose and speed to bring back hope, prosperity, safety and peace for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed,” Trump said.
Trump has expressed his concerns with the roles that race and gender play in daily life. He declared that the government will only recognize two genders, male and female.
On his first day in office, Trump also signed an executive order ending multiple programs under diversity, equity and inclusion. This means that candidates will be hired based on their qualifications instead of race and gender.
In his speech, Trump emphasized his plans to focus on national security, which includes the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.
“We will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came,” Trump said.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been tasked with finding illegal immigrants and deporting them back to their countries. So far, Trump and his administration have focused on illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.
“During every single day of the Trump administration, I will, very simply, put America first,” Trump said.
Jullian Hastings, freshman political science and philosophy major, watched the inauguration and Trump’s speech. As a political science student, Hastings holds a stronger understanding of politics than the average Joe.
“I would expect that whatever he does will be done a lot quicker and [will] be done as quickly as possible within the first two years [of his presidency] because then we have [midterm elections] and he risks losing power in [Congress],” Hastings said.
As Trump’s first week in office has proven, it’s expected that there will be many executive orders signed and action taken during his presidency. He has more experience and support than in his previous term including the Republican party holding the majority in the House of Representatives and Senate.
“We just need to pay attention to what he says, so we can anticipate things that may affect our daily lives,” said Kendall Brungardt, freshman mass media and political science major. “I think it’s good to know what’s going on whether you agree with it or not.”
Many legislations affect college students, so the student body should attempt to stay up to date on political issues and events. Students can stay informed by researching through credible news sources, checking government web pages and reading Kansas legislature.
JoAnna Marks, senior political science major, plans to attend law school. She also explained the importance of staying informed.
“Some people listen to a lot of TikTok, and some do their research, but you should double check them as well that they’re not just feeding some type of biased propaganda at you,” Marks said.
There will be many changes in the next few years, so it’s important to pay attention and stay informed.
Edited by Morgan Albrecht and Jeremy Ford
Roxanne May • Feb 2, 2025 at 2:24 pm
I find it interesting that the biggest pushback is from China regarding Fentanyl. Fentanyl has killed so many and is a terrible epidemic killing not only adults but it is killing our children. China says its Americas problem not theirs. It is coming from them, so it’s everyone’s problem.