by Jared Rouse
On a gray and rainy day in Washington D.C. on Jan. 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. The crowds filled the steps of the Capital Building, the mall, and surrounded the reflection pool of the National Monument.
All living former presidents, excluding George H.W. Bush who was facing medical issues, were in attendance. Trump’s political opponent, Hillary Clinton, was there wearing all white. Former President Barack Obama even looked proud. Jake Tapper, who has expressed his political bias on CNN time and time again, was even quoted as saying, “This is what we do in America, we put the campaign behind us no matter how bitter it was.”
I could give details about the inauguration all day, but it was Trump’s speech after being sworn in that really stole the show. It only lasted about 15 minutes, but in that time he made some pretty big promises. One of those promises was to stop crime, drugs and gang violence. His actual statement was “…the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential. This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.”
That is a pretty big promise, and I don’t see how he could possibly fulfill it. Saying you are going to stop crime seems like an impossible task when you are talking about a population of over 300 million.
He also doubled down on a campaign promise: “From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first, America first. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our product, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs.”
After the ceremony small protests broke out all over D.C. As I sit here watching CNN, I see the riot police with their shields and helmets throwing flash bombs, and the protesters throwing rocks back at them. I am filled with a hope that these protests don’t escalate too far. It looks like the beginning of a full scale riot. Of course, CNN could just be making these protest seem bigger and more violent than they actually are. Sensationalism is what sells after all.
I did not support either candidate during the election. Personally, I thought both Clinton and Trump were both bad choices that the American people had to pick from. That being said, I truly hope the American people will give our new president a chance.
I don’t believe that Trump is a racist. It’s unfortunate that racist groups decided to support him, and thus give him that label. I also don’t really think he is sexist. In my opinion, he is just an over-privileged rich white man who said some pretty stupid things before he knew he was going to be running for president.
We can only hope that his behavior and actions are far more professional now that he is the leader of the most powerful nation in the world. Trump has some pretty big shoes to fill and even bigger promises to keep. One way or the other, it’s going to be a very interesting next four to eight years.
