It is Jan. 6, 2020 and a crowd cheered for Donald Trump as he galvanized the crowd and asserted that the 2020 election was stolen. Before the speech ends, inspired Trump supporters begin congregating outside the U.S. Capitol, breaking through barriers and storming past police. As they flood the first floor of the Capitol building, the crowd shouts, “USA, USA, USA!”
These events were summarized in an article by Kat Lonsdorf, Courtney Dorning, Amy Isackson, Mary Louise Kelly and Ailsa Chang of NPR News on Jan. 5, 2024. The U.S. Capitol attack is an example of President Trump using his power. Additionally, on Jan. 17, 2025 Ed Gardan of The Guardian analyzed that this presidential term, President Trump can control both chambers of Congress and six of the nine members of the Supreme Court are appointed by Republicans. This is the third time since World War II that a president has had this level of control over the Supreme Court and both houses.
President Trump has a strong social influence, and his followers embolden him to do more with his presidential power. Jared Bart ‘27 believes that President Trump has proven his willingness to ignore court orders and do what he wants.
“He’s already proving he has all the power,” Bart said. “He’s directly violating court orders, and we’re not holding him accountable [and] just letting him continue to do slightly worse and worse things without any repercussions is really terrifying.”
As of Feb. 20, 2025, Nigel Chiwaya et. al. of NBC News note that President Trump has broken numerous records, including signing more than 70 executive orders since February. This is the record for a president’s first 100 days in more than 40 years.
In a January 20, 2025, Fox News article on the immigration crackdown, Amelia Jones and Amber Kite highlight how President Trump took immediate actions focused on immigration. He declared a national emergency at the southern border, signed an order to end birthright citizenship and directed the military to prioritize the elimination of cartels in the U.S.
Valentina Salmón ‘26 believes that President Trump’s spotlight on a border crackdown led to increased racism and xenophobia toward Latinos. Her mom is a Mexican immigrant, having obtained her citizenship during Trump’s first Presidency, but she recognizes the prejudice towards her. Salmón has also noticed that, depending on the audience, her mom sometimes stopped speaking Spanish in public during Trump’s first and second presidencies.
“Having a [Spanish] accent, [or] speaking Spanish in public, comes with an edge of fear,” Salmón said, ”Even though we live in LA, forty-eight percent of the population is Latino. It’s still kind of scary to think that people could call ICE on us if we were speaking Spanish, and that’s kind of ridiculous.”
Douglas Miller, high school U.S. history and debate teacher, has chosen not to pay attention to the news recently. For Miller, constantly watching what President Trump does will upset him. From the tariffs, to numerous violations he commits, Miller is concerned with the future of our country. He also believes that President Trump has unlimited power to control his followers’ beliefs and push them to use their voices for opinions they share with him.
“This president has the power to control national narratives and discussions through what he chooses to weigh in on, at seemingly a moment’s notice,” Miller said. “The president, being in the position of influence, signals to others that it’s okay for them to be much more vocal about shared opinions they have in the president.”
Additionally, Miller believes that President Trump possesses legislative power and has a high amount of social influence. He believes President Trump has the ability to choose what the nation talks about.
“He’s the human starting pistol,” Miller said. “The second he says something, bam, the race is on, everybody’s talking about it; he brings it to everybody’s attention in a way that almost no other person in the country can do. He has very little hesitation to speak his mind on whatever happens to come in front of him.”
