As many know, the 45th and 47th U.S. president, Donald Trump, was sworn into office on Monday January 20th, 2025. There are many mixed feelings about the historical event, and in a largely democratic city, many New Yorkers have worries about what is to come.
The inauguration ceremony featured many performers and memes, and in his first day of being president, President Trump has issued many executive orders. Many of these executive orders are controversial for various reasons, and would most likely be contested in court.
Inauguration day happens every four years, each time a new president needs to be sworn into office, on January 20th. However, if the 20th falls on a Sunday, the inauguration will take place on January 21st. This year, inauguration day coincided with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
During President Trump’s inauguration, there were many talented performers. Carrie Underwood performed “America the Beautiful” a cappella style. Additionally, Christopher Macchio sang “O America!” as well as the national anthem during this ceremony. Along with these talented singers, Lee Greenwood, the United States Marine Band, and choirs from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln performed.
Photo Credit: bbc.org
While the music was engaging, one event during the inauguration which has been all over social media was “the air kiss”. Donald Trump leaned in to give his wife, Melania Trump, a kiss, but because of her bulky hat, he wasn’t able to accomplish his goal. Many memes have surfaced over Melania Trump’s hat following the inauguration. People have made fun of her outfit choice, claiming she couldn’t see.
Following the inauguration, within one day of becoming the 47th president, Donald Trump started changing policies, which is arguably hindering the societal growth of the United States.
President Trump signed an executive order titled “Protecting The Meaning And Value Of American Citizenship” which will end and alter birthright citizenship in the United States. Birthright citizenship means that a child who is born in the United States is a citizen. If the executive order was passed, if a mother and father weren’t legal U.S. residents, their child who was born in the U.S. wouldn’t be considered a citizen. However, this goes against the constitution’s 14th amendment, guaranteeing birthright citizenship. President Trump signed this executive order to try and control the amount of migrants that have come to the United States.
Mr. Trump also signed the executive order titled “Restoring the Death Penalty And Protecting Public Safety” which will now allow the death penalty in the United States, and it will make sure that execution drugs are readily available.
Another thing President Trump has done is revoke the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1965, through an executive order, which made it illegal to discriminate against people based on gender, sexuality, and race in the workplace. This was a huge accomplishment for minority groups who fought for more equality in the workforce which can potentially be erased by the new president’s actions.
Donald Trump signed 27 executive orders, 12 memorandums, and 4 proclamations within his first day of his 2nd term as a U.S. president. Despite his hopes of getting all of these things put into effect, only some will be enacted immediately, while others will be challenged by courts and may not ever be put into effect. In addition to this, when his supporters attacked the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021, many were brought up on charges. One of President Trump’s first acts as the 2025 President was pardoning all of these rioters and their charges. Though the rioters must be thrilled, what does this mean for the country? It makes one wonder who else President Trump may support and pardon despite their criminal actions.
As of now, since Mr. Trump has only briefly been the 47th president, and has already made enormous, consequential changes in the government, one can assume that more changes will be occurring soon. Only the future will tell if the United States will regress or progress, but all we can do is stay positive. However, given major changes on the federal level, local policy and advocacy becomes even more important. Students can and should take part in advocacy groups and engage with local policy, as that is what will direclty affect NYC students.
That being said, as a student, pre-registering to vote, and being informed about the truth of events are both very important. Civics week is from March 10th to 14th, and students can learn how to pre-register to vote. Students should also make sure that not all their news comes from social media- fact check what you see, and learn more. Until you can vote, stay informed, and try to halt the spread of misinformation!
