It felt like just another Friday as Donald J. Trump was inaugurated the forty-fifth President of the United States of America while most of the Northwood community dined on hot dogs and fish and chips in the dining room.
Donald J. Trump taking the oath of office as President of the United States (Photo: AFP)
Never in the history of the United States has there been such a controversial or divisive figure entering the Office of the President, and protests are planned and happening now. Last night in New York City, thousands of New Yorkers were part of an Anti-Trump protest led by celebrities such as Michael Moore, Robert DeNiro, and Alec Baldwin, who is now known for his hilarious impression of Trump each week on Saturday Night Live. The crowd was cheering “Hey Ho! Donald Trump has got to go!” and “We reject the President-elect!” As of today’s count, 450 buses will be bringing people to watch the inauguration of Donald J. Trump, and 1,800 buses will transport protesters to Washington D.C. tomorrow for the Women’s March.
This tweet, sent minutes after the inauguration ceremony, summarizes President Trump’s inaugural address.
At Northwood, the reaction has been muted. Not a single student watched the inauguration, and only about five faculty made their way to auditorium to listen to President Trump’s speech, even though the inauguration ceremony was live streamed for the Northwood community in the auditorium, and school meeting was cancelled so that people could watch.
Mr. Gino Riffle, Dean of Students and Athletic Director said that he has noticed some students and faculty being “visibly upset” about Trump’s presidency. Riffle’s advice to those who did not vote for Trump, nor support him, is to follow what Obama has said about accepting the result and giving President Trump a chance. Mr Riffle says that as a country, our goal should be to have a “peaceful transition.” “This is who our country voted for,” said Riffle, “so we must support him as well as we can. We cannot complain about it.”
There were certain things we could have done to prevent a Trump Presidency, but Trump won the election. It is the way the system works. Some community members at Northwood, however, are very optimistic about the presidency of Donald Trump. Jack Dugan ‘17 says “I expect him to be good for this country because I believe he is going to try to unite the American people while strengthening communities all around America. Overall, I believe he will create a greater and stronger country than what we have had in the past years.”
Well, Donald Trump is now president, and soon America will see what kind of job he will do. In four (or eight) years, we can look back on today, and conclude if the tears or celebrations were justified, or if skipping it all and eating a hot dog was the right choice.
