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Students cautious but hopeful after Trump's inauguration

January 21, 2017
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gives a speech on Nov. 7, 2016 at DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, Mich. The DeVos Place Convention Center was Trump's last stop for the 2016 election season.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gives a speech on Nov. 7, 2016 at DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, Mich. The DeVos Place Convention Center was Trump's last stop for the 2016 election season. —
Photo by Nic Antaya | and Nic Antaya The State News

President Donald Trump took the oath of office Friday, becoming the 45th president of the United States, leaving some students with reservations about the country's future while others expressed cautious optimism.

MSU associate professor of constitutional democracy Ben Kleinerman said Trump’s inauguration was similar to most others, the only marked difference being a number of Democratic politicians refusing to attend.

“I think it’s indicative of continued high partisan divisions,” Kleinerman said.

Kleinerman said the first things people will see from Trump’s presidency include cabinet confirmations and the formation of legislative agendas, as well as executive orders to reverse the ones issued by former President Barack Obama.

“I’m a little scared because I hear everybody (in the cabinet) doesn’t have experience, I’m kind of worried about that,” film studies senior Shaquille Sampson said.

While many projections have pointed to Trump taking swift action to replace Obama's policies, Sampson said he believes change will come slowly.

“I don’t think the next couple months we might see anything, but I think over the course of the years we’ll see changes within the country," Sampson said. "Over the next couple of months I don’t think anything but media will happen, like, ‘he said this’ or ‘he disagreed with that’ but I don’t think any major reforms or anything will happen."

Business-preference freshman Brendan Dudek said he appreciates the peaceful transfer of power and is interested in what Trump does with the economy in his first 100 days.

"I don’t have much faith in this presidency as (of) right now, just because of the things he’s been saying, but I’ll give him a little hope,” Dudek said. “It’s good to have hope sometimes.”

Computer science sophomore Yangkai He, an international student, said he’s mostly indifferent to Trump’s presidency but noticed disappointment in many of his peers.

“I know a lot of students here, most of the people feel very upset,” He said.

He also expressed concern over a Trump presidency’s effect on China’s economy.

“I’m afraid that the rate of the Chinese (renminbi) to the dollar will raise higher and higher,” He said. “It will influence me because I need to pay more for my student fee."

Business-preference freshman Allison Zwarka said she thinks there will be a lot of controversy in Trump’s presidency, but expressed some optimism about the new administration.

“I think he could bring a different view to our country honestly, I’m not opposed or necessarily completely for, but I do think I agree with some of his ideas and disagree with others so I don’t know, we’ll see,” Zwarka said. “It could go either way, honestly.”

Advertising freshman Ashley Sawchuk, in what she called a “bizarre attitude toward politics,” said she thinks people her age don’t have enough life experience to make informed, strong political decisions and opinions and is keeping her mind open.

“At this point in my life, all I can do is keep an open mind about Donald Trump and just kind of experience it and just see what works and what doesn’t, and maybe when I’m 30 I’ll have something better to say but I just don’t think that I’ve experienced enough to know what the best is for our country,” Sawchuk said. “Right now all I’m thinking about is how I want cheap school and things like that, but is that really what’s best for the whole of America? I don’t know.”

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