RENSSELAER, IN. — In the wake of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, local college students reflected on the 2016 election and where the county may be heading. Some lean toward the conservative side and are filled with enthusiasm. Others are more moderate, staying quietly optimistic. And still others, on the liberal side, are disappointed by the decisions that have been made, but choose to remain hopeful.
Students at Saint Joseph’s College appear to cover the entire political spectrum. Senior Sarah Bromberek, who leans to the right, said she took Trump’s bid for the presidency as a serious effort from the beginning.
“I didn’t actually doubt him all that much,” Bromberek said. “Like people were saying ‘Oh he’s not actually going to go through with it.’ I’m like, ‘I think this year is different. I think he’s going through with it.’”
She admitted to being a fan of Trump, even since the days of the reality show “Celebrity Apprentice.” That said, she does believe he was too unfiltered at times during his campaign.
“I already knew who he was, and I was like, ‘This is going to be really fun to watch,’” she said. “And then, there were times where it was just like ‘You need a filter, calm down.’”
Bromberek also believes that Trump’s more outlandish rhetoric was mostly meant to help him during the campaign. And she remains optimistic that his actual presidency could be a good thing.
“Maybe that’s not exactly what he means in saying it,” she said. “But he’s just trying to get everyone on his side. And by saying whatever he thinks people are really thinking, that’s how he’s going to do it…It got him to where he is now, and I think that’s what he wanted.”
Junior Kevin Heineman, who identified as an Independent, doesn’t believe the time is right to cast judgment.
“I’m just going to wait and see what happens,” he said. “I don’t feel like I can properly assess the situation until it’s actually in motion.”
Heineman had admired Senator Marco Rubio for his apparent desire to bring both sides together to solve problems. He had also admired Senator and military veteran Jim Webb, who launched a short-lived campaign for the Democratic Party’s nomination.
“Hillary Clinton was more just in business aspects and politics,” Heineman said. “And he was in politics, but he had a different side, a side where he could appeal to some people on the right.”
Heineman also admired Senator Bernie Sanders’ character, even though he didn’t agree with him very much politically.
“I liked, you know, his fire until it burned out,” Heineman said. “I just enjoyed the fact that he wasn’t willing to give up. Because we need someone like that. We need somebody who’s willing to push for things and get things done, more than somebody who’s willing to just work in a system.”
On that note, he objected to the riots and violence that have already taken place since Trump’s election and inauguration.
“Some people will be out protesting, and it’s like ‘How can you protest something that hasn’t even happened yet?’” he said. “That’s just my thought.”
Junior Jessica Robinson, who identified as a Democrat, agreed that violence and blind outrage are not going to improve matters.
“There are better ways to go about things than rioting and destroying things,” she said. “We were mad about him doing extreme things. And then they turn around and start destroying things because they’re angry. And I don’t think that’s right. It’s a disappointment all around.”
She believes Trump does bear some of the burden for the tumultuous times we’re in, by inciting more of it or failing to promote positivity.
“Trump is just radical to me,” she said. “He’s just very extreme and throws extreme ideas out there and uses big words to get a lot of people to get motivated…I think he’s done a lot of damage to incite riots. And it was going to happen regardless. It’s the time where we’re at. But he hasn’t done anything to stop them, either.”
Robinson strongly supported Sanders before the Clinton Campaign took the nomination. And she noted how this defied the idea that many or most women would vote for Clinton.
“I didn’t see the point in voting for someone without agreeing completely with what she had to say,” Robinson said.
Robinson, who is a Biology Major with interest in science and medicine, is concerned about the future since Trump’s election. His stance on global warming has her particularly worried for the the planet.
“It’s one of those things where you can look around and see changes,” she said. “It’s something that’s been studied. And to completely disregard science and what’s been proven, and what’s been proven to change, isn’t something that I agree with.”
That said, she has chosen to stay hopeful.
“I just am concerned, but I’m praying for the best,” she said. “My point of view is ‘We can’t change what’s been done. So just pray for a successful term. Pray that he leads to the best of his ability and tries to gain experience and knowledge while doing so.’”
