Despite not being in office for long, President Trump has already done many things — from issuing executive orders and nominating cabinet members, to meeting and calling international leaders.
Most notable of Trump’s actions so far are his executive orders, orders which can bypass Congress. Government teacher John Felder explains, “Executive orders make a change more quickly than laws. A bill can take months and months to write whereas executive orders can be passed and repealed by future presidents.”
One of Trump’s executive orders is the controversial travel ban, which prevents refugees from seven countries with Muslim majority from entering the U.S. On the topic of Cabinet member selection, some of Trump’s nominees are equally as controversial. Regarding international policy, the wall is another contentious area for debate. All in all, though Trump’s policies are still very much controversial, most can agree that his actions do have an impact not just to America as a whole, but also to Aragon as a community.
At the dinner table, sophomore Alex Ma says that he and his family often discuss Trump’s international actions. Ma says, “Department of Defense Secretary James Mattis visited South Korea as one of his first stops as the secretary. With the recent ballistic missile test and increased North Korean aggression, my family has concerns for the region … We talk about what may happen between North and South Korea and Mattis’ visit helped some of the concerns that we had over whether the U.S. would back out of its long policy of supporting South Korea.”
On the other hand, senior Benjamine Sasounian says that his family doesn’t talk much about politics. “I have a very divided family so politics aren’t discussed much but we all respect each others opinion to an extent,” Sasounian says. “I just have fun debating them; it hasn’t affected my relationships with family at all.”
In terms of friendships, Ma recalls a time when debating on Trump has drawn him apart from some. “I think a lot of people that may support Trump at Aragon are too scared of the backlash to support his policies,” says Ma, “I talked to someone that did agree with some of his immigration policy and we got into a heated discussion. I feel as though the argument did push us farther away from being friends.”
Ma adds, “I think it’s great when another high schooler pays attention to the policy coming out of the White House and then has a conversation with me and we both come to the same conclusion. But when they come up with something different, I try to avoid talking about politics in general with that person to avoid conflict.”
Sasounian also has a similar experience. “I only have true arguments with one other person which is good because it helps develop ideas,” says Sasounian, “although I have lost a lot of friends due to my support for Trump, people in this school don’t want to debate me because they think I’m some sort of evil [person]. That’s the problem with the education system right now, it has turned Aragon into a safe space and turned people away from actual debates.”
“When people enter the real world they’re going to realize no one cares about their feelings,” says Sasounian, “When you start to ignore other people and be spoiled and not challenge your beliefs it causes you to enter a state of denial; the ‘I’m right and everyone else is wrong’ denial.”
Sasounian concludes, “Trump’s impact on my relationships don’t tend to affect me but it is disappointing to know that [several people] dislike me. Obviously it’s not a great feeling, but I try to not let it get me down. I think people have to realize that just because I have a different political opinion doesn’t mean I hate them and that ignoring me doesn’t benefit either of us.”
In the end, Trump’s administration has created a noticeable impact on Aragon students and on families and friends. The next few months will determine how this impact changes.
