A reflection of Donald Trump’s early days in office poses many questions about the future of America and the role of government. Just a day after taking office, President Trump signed off on 26 proclamations, 12 memondrems, and 1600 pardons, many of which surround environmental and immigration issues. 

IMMIGRATION

The president has made it clear that he plans on mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, specifically to Latin American countries like Mexico. Trump issued multiple policies on this topic, most notably, issuing US military troops to guard the Mexican border. 

“As a historical matter, [military troops at the border are] usually not used unless it’s a dire situation,” AP Government teacher Jeff Antoon said. “It looks like Donald Trump is trying to make it dire. Immigration is a big issue for him.”

Aside from policies meant to prevent future immigration, another action is being taken regarding US citizenship. According to CNN, one of the most controversial executive orders is the one interpreting birthright citizenship. This would mean that children of undocumented immigrants, despite being born in the U.S. would not receive U.S. citizenship

“It goes against the Constitution, you can’t have an executive order for that, so it’s unconstitutional,” Antoon said. “The fact that it has to go to the Supreme Court to be set back is alarming in that sense, but we’re going through the process of democracy.”

U.S. Immigration rules affect international relations too, but Trump has proposed other policies that directly impact international relations. A good example is the 25% tariffs charged on all Mexican and Canadian goods. Notably, the tariffs have been postponed to March 4.

“Well, I think that Trump wants to make America great, but in an interdependent global situation, putting tariffs on countries is gonna raise the cost for us,” Antoon said. “Based on what I know…I would hope that it brings jobs back to America. I see his long-term goal. I don’t know if he’s communicated that with the American people, though clearly enough.” 

ENVIRONMENT

President Trump began his second term with a series of executive orders impacting the nation’s environmental policies. According to the “New York Times”, one move that received the most backlash was the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord., an international agreement that aims to reduce carbon emissions to below pre-industrial times (2 degrees Celsius). 

“I think international policy is a good idea,” Environmental Systems teacher Ryan Muskal said. “If we’re pulling out of an international climate policy we should come up with an alternative. In general, you have a population that just doesn’t know what our country is doing policywise, and it just doesn’t go for climate stuff.”

The decision to exit the Paris Agreement sparked heated debates about the future of international policies. Scientists, activists and Democratic officials argued that the abandonment of the accord without an actual alternative undermines the global effort to combat climate change. The National Security Archive spoke about how the belief is that the U.S. should take a leadership role in addressing global environmental issues instead of running from the problem. 

“You also have to keep in mind that the U.S. prides itself on being the model country,” Muskal said. “If that’s the case, sometimes you have to do model country things, show that you can make a difference. Especially when some of the other countries are still developing, where it is a lot harder to have clean energy if you don’t have any energy to begin with.”

Trump and his administration have pushed for increased fossil fuel production and extraction. And though experts have continued to emphasize the severe consequences that will arise from neglecting climate change, it seems that Trump has chosen to ignore these warnings, according to PBS NewsHour. 

He believes that to make America “great” again we must double this production which has raised many eyebrows from the World Economic Forum as concerns for the long-term impact of climate change. The continued reliance on these energy sources will increase global warming and cause more problems.

“We have record high levels of carbon dioxide, and I wouldn’t even just say record high—I’d say anomalous high,” Muskal said. “NASA’s satellites, which are as unbiased as you can get, show an anomalous rate of increased CO2. When there’s an increased rate of CO2, it’s going to intensify the greenhouse gas effect”. 

“It’s not just CO2, there are also anomalously high levels of methane, chlorofluorocarbons and other greenhouse gases. When the greenhouse gas effect is overactive, it causes erratic and extreme weather patterns because of Earth’s complex climate systems. Not all areas will feel warmer, instead, we’ll see more unpredictable and severe weather.”

PARDONS

Trump pardoned all Jan. 6 protesters. violent demonstrators stormed the US capital in hopes of changing the results of the 2020 elections.January 6, 2021,

“Law and order is a big deal, especially for the stability of a country and democracy,” Antoon said. “So if I could undo something he could do, it would be the pardoning of so many that day.”