The United States has officially entered the second Trump term. On Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. Berkeley citizens and students are grappling with what this means for our community, and how to prepare for the impact of the next four years.
In Trump’s 2025 inauguration speech, he painted a grim picture of the current state of the United States, saying things such as, “While the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair,” and “America’s decline is over.” During the 29 minutes he spoke, Donald Trump claimed American citizens have been misled and lied to under the previous administration, and he is the individual who can bring America to its “golden age.” Trump also spoke about the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, saying he was “saved by God to make America great again.”
Trump made many promises during his speech which included declaring a national emergency at the southern border, saying, “All illegal entry will immediately be halted.” Trump also promised to pardon those criminally involved with the Jan. 6 insurrection, federally recognize only two genders, and have federal agencies rename parts of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” all of which he has done in his first few days in office.
Trump’s agenda has raised concerns across the country — including in Berkeley.
“Although we wish Kamala Harris would have won, this election was still a demonstration of democracy working,” Rachel Roberts, a senior at Berkeley High School and the co-president of the Students for Reproductive Choice club, said. Before 2022, access to abortion was guaranteed under Roe v. Wade but this was overturned by the Supreme Court due to the conservative majority appointed under Trump’s first presidency. “We think with our new president, reproductive freedom will be considerably restricted and under constant threat to be abolished completely,” Roberts said. She added that it is fortunate that the state we live in has ensured abortion protection for all who are seeking it.
Roberts said her club wrote postcards to Arizona voters prior to the November 2024 election, urging them to vote “Yes” on Prop. 139. Since then, Prop. 139 has been passed, meaning abortion rights are guaranteed in Arizona. Right now, the club is continuing to spread awareness about abortion access through education.
“People are really concerned about what kind of executive action (Trump) is making, and going to make still,” said Joseph Smith, a BHS teacher of U.S. History and AP Macroeconomics. He said that the district and local politicians are already trying to educate people about their rights, because citizens want to know if and how their lives will change. “On some level, people want to be prepared,” Smith said.
“I think the biggest part of an inauguration is like: you know what? What’s the president gonna say? What are their first words as president?” Smith said. The upcoming president’s first words often make a strong impression on citizens. According to Nielsen Holdings, a media audience measurement firm, 24.6 million Americans watched Trump’s inauguration through major networks. “I still remember Trump’s first speech talking about American carnage,” Smith said, referencing Trump’s 2016 inauguration speech that focused on the idea that the American people were being deprived and deceived by the previous administration.
Climate is another subject Trump acted upon almost immediately after being sworn in as president. On Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, and declared a national energy emergency. The Paris Climate Agreement is an international treaty on climate change. The United States’ departure joins only three other countries not part of the agreement: Libya, Iran, and Yemen.
“I believe that Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement is incredibly detrimental to the future of our planet and is all around embarrassing for our country, which is now refusing to take action for the climate crisis that they contributed to,” Eva Dickinson, a sophomore at BHS, said. This is the second time Trump has pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Trump withdrew back in June of 2017, however, Joe Biden rejoined during his presidency.
Donald Trump’s second term as president brings uncertainty and concern among those who live in the Bay Area, but Smith encouraged people to not lose hope.
“We just have to fight it as best we can while still working within the system because we want the system to work for us too,” Smith said.