On January 20th, 2025, Donald J Trump was sworn into office for his second term and as the 47th president of the United States. A noticeable difference in his inauguration and more recent ones, is that it was held indoors in the Capitol building’s Rotunda, but that’s not the only thing sparking controversy with the new president elect’s inauguration.
Trump began his speech by promising to “put America first” and to make the country “greater, stronger, and far more exceptional than ever before.” These statements are primarily made in comment of the former Biden administration and meant to highlight some of the policies the Trump administration wishes to introduce.
Capitol Ceiling
Colbie Walker
Such policies, primarily regarding immigration laws, have sparked mass controversy amongst politicians and civilians alike. Within his wishes to reduce immigration in the states through the Southern border, Trump also wishes to end birthright citizenship in order to no longer “provide sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world.”
Additionally, the president elect comments on the current health and social status of America promising to restore Americans “faith, wealth, freedom, and democracy.” Trump’s actions are not made without backlash from many of his political opponents or those of various groups and minorities.
For instance, in his inauguration speech, Trump vowed to revert Alaska’s highest mountain, Denali, to Mount McKinley, raising protest from the Alaskan Koyukon Athabascans in which the name and location hold generational significance. This backlash goes hand-in-hand with Trump’s wishes to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
Alaskans are not the only ones concerned about Trump’s claims, “As a member of the queer community, questions about what my future will hold with also someone who has different beliefs and ideas then our current president,”
11th grader, Zellah May Mata worries. “I think it’s a good reminder of who we are as a country from our very first inauguration,” she notes but overall feels “a bit of uncertainty and at times concern.”
It’s no surprise Trump’s inauguration has brought conflict and controversy amongst the American people, while his speech and executive orders provide a glimpse into the next four years, only time will tell the way his presidency will affect the masses.
