On January 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump was sworn into office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. During his inauguration, Trump shared information about the future of America and what issues he intends to tackle during his time in office.
There were many noteworthy events during the ceremony including that the inauguration took place inside the U.S. capital building. Typically this celebration is held outside of the building on the west front. There was also a large number of tech billionaires in attendance.
“I believe that it’s going to be a good turning point for our country,” senior Daniel Soto said. “We saw what he did in 2016 so hopefully, it will be repeated. I think this is what’s best for this country.”
This inauguration was significant in multiple ways. Trump is the second president in U.S. history to be elected for two non-consecutive terms, and his inauguration fell on Martin Luther King (MLK) Day.
“A President inaugurated on MLK Day is always interesting,” history teacher Jen Isaacs said. “I think when you think of someone like Martin Luther King, and how he represented love, kindness, and worked for a better future where everyone in this country would be equal under the law. And then you see some of the rhetoric that has come from the Trump administration, it can be in conflict sometimes. It can be difficult to celebrate a man who represented that kind of love for humanity, while also recognizing that maybe not everyone shares that same opinion.”
Trump began his inaugural speech by stating his confidence in his ability to lead the nation toward a greater future, according to CBS News. He also claimed that during his term he intends to re-balance the scales of justice and prioritize prosperity and freedom for our nation.
“I don’t think the scales of justice have ever been truly balanced,” senior Avery Fechter said. “No matter the outcome of any situation no one will ever be truly appeased. I think his comment is a big promise that he will be unable to fulfill.”
Trump announced in his speech that he not only plans to restore America to how it was during his last presidency but he also plans to undo policies that previous presidents have put into place.
“We have a public health system that does not deliver in times of disaster, yet more money is spent on it than any country anywhere in the world,” Trump said during the address. “We have an education system that teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves, and in many cases to hate our country despite the love that we try so desperately to provide to them. All of this will change starting today and will change very quickly.”
According to the BBC, the first of these changes that Trump is making is the securing of America’s borders, in an attempt to stem the flow of illegal immigration. Not only will the boarder be secured but Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers (ICE) will begin to deport mass amounts of illegal immigrants, he said.
“I agree with the plans of mass deportation,” Soto said. “My family came from Mexico legally, and there are so many other people that also come here legally. When people come illegally it’s not fair for everybody else.”
According to Issac’s, the announcement of mass deportations brought concern to many students who fear that they could be targeted by ICE officials in public places like parks and schools.
“My students haven’t changed the way that they treat each other,” Issacs said. “Everyone in my classroom still regards everyone with kindness, but I think the biggest change has come with some of the regulations. There is a question mark on certain things about how school will work and what is acceptable.”
Another plan Trump has for his term is to tackle America’s increasing inflation and energy costs, and during his address, he declared that this issue is now a national emergency and as a country, the government will focus more on mining fossil fuels.
“The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices,” Trump said. “Today I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby, drill. America will be a manufacturing nation once again, and we have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have, the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth. And we are going to use it.”
Trump’s promise to increase drilling has caused people to question the effect that this will have on the environment. According to the World Wildlife Fund harvesting for fossil fuels like oil can harm ecosystems and animals by disrupting migratory patterns and ruining critical habitats, especially in the event of an oil spill.
“Multiple studies have shown that inflation rates were decreasing during Biden’s presidency,” Fechter said. “There was a significant decrease from 2022 to 2023. While having resources like oil is important to America’s economy, mining can also be detrimental to the environment and there should be very strict policies and restrictions to prevent the overuse of such an important fossil fuel.”
Trump also announced his plan to end the Green New Deal. This congressional resolution, a statement released by the senate, that recognized the obligation of the Federal government to tackle the crisis of climate change. This focus resulted in the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act which is the largest-ever federal investment into fighting climate change.
“With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American autoworkers,” Trump said. “In other words, you’ll be able to buy the car of your choice. We will build automobiles in America again at a rate that nobody could have dreamt possible just a few years ago.”
Trump is not the only person who was sworn in on January 20, Trumps vice president nominee James David Vance, commonly referred to as JD was also sworn in.
“I like JD Vance,” Soto said. “He came up from pretty much nothing and served his country as a Marine and made it to where he is now. I think he’s a really good speaker and is very charismatic.”
Elon Musk was also welcomed into a spot on Trump’s cabinet. Musk will be the Head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and he made an appearance at the inauguration which sparked controversy. During his speech made a gesture while thanking the crowd. According to the BBC Musk placed his right hand over his heart and then put that same arm straight into the air. This gesture caused viewers to become skeptical of his intentions.
“Quite frankly, the salute was disgusting,” senior Nate Motes said. “However, it is not unexpected from him. I think he is a horrible racist man who is power hungry and payed his way to the top of our government.”
According to Issac’s, following the inauguration students have been voicing concerns about their safety and security of their rights.
“I believe that it is important because people can focus a lot on the negative and feel hopeless sometimes,” Issacs said. “However, I hope that students will get out of this is that as long as there is something to fight for there are who are people fighting for it, and it will be useful to focus on ourselves, the acts of love and kindness we can spread to the world on a day to day basis in our own circle, instead of letting the political climate, beat us down.”
