By Bailey Kozalla, sports editor
It has been 34 days since the inauguration of our 45th president. At Saegertown many contrasting opinions accompany Donald J. Trump’s admittance to the White House. The first one hundred days are critical to forming public opinion of Trump’s promises.
In favor of President Trump, social studies teacher Mr. Richard Rutkowski said, “I’m in awe at the pace of the first week. He seemed to be rolling out something almost daily from his agenda.” Regarding Trump’s business background, Mr. Rutkowski added: “In terms of our economy, we have suffered through anemic growth. We need a business leader. Americans sent him to Washington to fix the economy. From an economic standpoint, he’ll be successful, I think he sees it as a priority to jumpstart the economy.”
Similarly, social studies teacher, Mr. Adam Horne reflects on the optimism of the quick pace of the agenda. ”He said he was going to do it. I believe he is not your traditional politician; we haven’t seen a president like this since 1901.” Horne viewed the inauguration as different, but positive. “His speech was different from a normal inaugural speech; it was more like his campaign speeches. Reiterating his promises, more plainspeak. He reflects the frustration of mainstream America.”
Sounding from the left, English teacher Mr. Greg Molnar gave his thoughts on the inauguration of Donald Trump. “I’m not in denial, but I’m still surprised he got in.” Looking back on the election, Molnar said, “I think everyone was reading the Democrats’ message wrong.” It may not have been his preferred outcome, but he is optimistic for the future. “I hope Donald Trump does so well that I want to vote for him in four years,” Mr. Molnar said.
From a student perspective, senior Anna Swartout personally attended the inauguration and gave her account of the audience. “I think a lot of people think there wasn’t a lot of people there. There were a lot more Trump supporters than people thought there were,” Swartout said. Commenting on Trump’s plan for his first one hundred days, Swartout said, “I think he is keeping his promises. He started immediately instead of sitting on his hands, unlike most presidents who take a little while.”
The overall Saegertown community being predominantly Trump oriented, the opinions seem to be mostly positive. However, the first one hundred days are still in progress, so only time will tell.