Thrilled, scared and unsurprised: Americans react to Trump's first week
2025-01-25
Category: news

If President Donald Trump was polarising on the campaign trail, his first week back in office was no different.He was officially sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday before signing hundreds of executive actions, reversing policies from President Joe Biden's administration and following through on many of the promises he made on the campaign trail. We spoke to 10 Americans across the political spectrum about how they felt about the week. Here are their big takeaways. 
Inauguration Day was a spectacle for all
Not everyone we spoke to closely watched the events, but nearly all had an opinion on an unconventional day that saw weather upend tradition, with events and crowds moving inside.
Kyle Plessa, 39, an independent who voted for Trump: "I felt like I was watching like WWE, professional wrestling. Just the boisterousness, the showmanship, the playing for the cameras. You can tell that the entertainment is a big part of Donald Trump's credo as opposed to whether you had Barack Obama or Joe Biden inaugurated."Greg Bruno, 67, a Republican who voted for Trump: "I think Trump proved he's a man of the people when he threw those pens into the audience after signing the executive orders in front of 20,000 people. It just showed you who he really is working for."Richard Weil, 74, an independent who voted for Kamala Harris: "[His inaugural address] was not quite as dark as his first speech [in 2017], but it was certainly bitter. There was nothing in there that said good things about America."Angela Ramos, 37, an independent who voted for Harris: "I found a lot of Trump's speech to be disingenuous, because he mentioned specific things like justice, honour, integrity, trustworthiness, but these are not qualities that I think are reflected in his policy or his behaviour... I watched it out of a sense of civic duty."
Supporters celebrated promises kept
During his first week, Trump signed hundreds of executive actions that addressed issues big - including immigration and the economy - and small, such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico and releasing files related to President John F Kennedy's assassination. You can catch up here.
Larry Kees, 47, a Republican who voted for Trump: "I was happy [with the executive orders]. There were so many of them. I couldn't keep track. Obviously he's not a regular politician - with most politicians, you'll hear one thing and they'll do another."Tony Flecklin, 69, a Republican who voted for Trump: "You can expect behaviour from him that's going to be unlike what you normally run into. But in general, his policies in terms of border protection, economic sufficiency, oil and gas, I am wholeheartedly in favour of."Greg Bruno, a Republican: "This is why he was elected. Many of these orders involve issues that the American public wants to see done. Those are promises that were made in the campaign and he's fulfilling them."
Other Americans worried about his agenda 
Voters who cast their ballots for Kamala Harris said they disliked many of Trump's choices, particularly on climate, health and his decision to pardon supporters convicted of crimes related to the January 6 Capitol riot. Others questioned who might influence Trump's future actions.
Carlyn Jorgensen, 40, an independent who voted for Harris: "I haven't liked the fact that the front row was essentially CEOs - that you had Elon Musk and [Jeff] Bezos in the front row. That, to me, just felt like - are we heading towards an oligarchy at this point?"Angela Ramos, an independent: "Most deeply concerning to me are the departure from the Paris Climate Accords and the World Health Organization, simply because our actions have really deep consequences, not just for us within the US, but for the entire world."David Lieck, 58, a Democrat who voted for Harris: "I felt like he's essentially pandering to his base in the action he took with respect to the pardons and the commuting of the sentences of the January 6 rioters. I felt that was vindictive and sending the wrong message to the American people."
Trump's attitude and approach is different this time
Both supporters and critics said they felt President Trump was approaching his second term with more urgency than his first.
Greg Bruno, a Republican: "He came into his first presidency under attack... you put a person in a defensive crouch when you're under attack like that. This presidency doesn't have that element. So not only is he coming in not under attack, but he's coming in as a highly experienced person in how to wield the power of the presidency."Shantonu Mazumdar, 58, a Democrat who voted for Harris: "I think he's gotten a little bit harder, more hard line, it feels like. He's, I think, emboldened a little bit by his constituents and the people who have supported him. I think he's been given a little bit more… freedom to be further to the right than he was before."Richard Weil, an independent: "I think he's more focused. I think he's angrier, he's more revengeful… but I think he's turning into a bitter old man. I do think he has changed and I think he's changed for the worse."Tony Flecklin, a Republican: "I'm happy that he's following through with what his promises were. Sometimes his methods are a little draconian. That's just the nature of Donald J. Trump. He's not going to be wimpy about the way he approaches things."
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