The presidential election of 2016 was arguably the most controversial in American history. Supporters of liberalism and conservatism came together to vote for their respective presidential nominees. Donald Trump was the presiding winner of the election, granting him the ability to be the star of the 2017 presidential inauguration. The inauguration happened on January 20th, 2017 and not long after that, the streets of America were swept with protesters and supporters of our new president. Freshman Vi Tran, a Hillary supporter, stated, “As long as the Trump makes the United States a better country, then I think it’s okay.”
Trump was elected president on November 9th, 2016 thus giving the president-elect and his team 11 weeks to prepare for inauguration. The weeks of preparation leading up to the inauguration did not go as smoothly as hoped. The future president needed to pick his team and many were very disappointed with his choices. Among these choices was Betsy DeVos, the nominee for Secretary of Education. Many were troubled by the fact that she was nominated for position without any experience in public schools. Every presidential inauguration has had a live singer to serenade the President and First Lady’s first dance, but every musician was reluctant to join. Katy Perry, Elton John, Céline Dion, and many others were on the list of people who rejected the invite. Even with so much denial Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down, The Piano Guys, a portion of the Radio City Rockettes, and other musicians sang for Trump.
The outdoor inauguration was filled with many renowned politicians. The Obamas greeted the Trumps with gifts and hugs at the White House. Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill Clinton were there as well as every member of Trump’s campaign team. Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s campaign manager and now Counselor to the President, had her birthday on inauguration day. Conway stated her candidate winning and being sworn into office was the best birthday present she could receive.
A multitude of students at LNE had their opinions to give regarding the topic. Nadya Dicky, a junior, would’ve voted for Hillary because she believed in Hillary’s values and she does not endorse Trump’s opinion on women. On the other hand, a LNE sophomore would’ve voted for Trump going on to explain, “Because he is actually a great business man and can make lots of money despite his racism and other topics.”
Hope Whitney and Taylor Morgan seemed to agree on their perspectives. Whitney stated, “I would’ve voted for Hillary because she was very qualified for the position and never mocked a minority, ever. I’m disappointed in the non-voters of the election. As for president Trump, I don’t think he’ll affect me personally but I am somewhat concerned for the people he claims to dislike.” LNE Junior, Taylor Morgan, stated, “I think the results suck and he’s horrible towards several races and religions, I don’t like a racist and disrespectful president. I don’t feel comfortable with an irrational commander-in-chief.”
Millions of Americans came together the day after the inauguration to combat Trump’s presidency. The Women’s March was the largest presidential inauguration protest and the largest one day protest in U.S. history. Millions of Americans came together the day after the inauguration to combat Trump’s horrid language. The march was meant to show support and raise awareness to women’s rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, protection of the natural environment, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, freedom of religion, Islamophobia, and workers’ rights.
Most students were very educated on the inauguration of 2017 because of their social studies classes, but many remained in the middle and didn’t care too much about the election. Alex Lloyd, LNE freshman, said, “I watched a bit of the inauguration in Geography class. I thought that they took a lot of precautions to protect Trump. I didn’t care about the election. I didn’t feel like either of them were worthy of being president.”
Regardless of who LNE students supported, we have a new president now. Donald Trump is the nation’s commander for the next four years and possibly 8 if he gets re-elected. Despite this, both political parties are remaining optimistic for success in the years to come.
