President Trump: Do OBHS Students Approve?

By Jillian Haguisan

     ​No matter what kind of internet platform you’re using, be it the news, YouTube, or Twitter, you are guaranteed to hear about President Donald Trump on a daily basis. Not only has he taken over the internet, but his controversial actions have been the topic of many conversations. Some people respect his genuine care for this country and admire his straightforward plans. However, others disapprove of his actions, calling them irrational, and believe that he’s unfit to be president. The question right now, though, is: what do the students of Oyster Bay High School think of President Trump?

      During their lunch periods and study halls, 80 students from OBHS, ranging from 7th to 12th grade, were asked for their opinions about President Trump. 18 students stated that they support the president, and 34 stated that they do not support him. 28 students remained neutral; their reasoning was that they had mixed feelings about President Trump and couldn’t pick a side, or that they wished to not be involved with politics. The latter reason is supported by data, as out of the 80 students, 33 reported that they never watch the news. Only 22 students stated that they watch the news almost every day, and the rest reported that they watch the news 1-5 times a week.
     Though the majority of students dislike President Trump, many of them blame his lack of political experience and his personality as the reasons behind their disapproval. “I think that he’s uneducated in politics, and he often discriminates against minorities,” a 9th grader commented.  
     A group of 10th graders expressed similar opinions, one saying that he is “okay as a president, but awful as a human being.”
      However, those who support President Trump overlook what some consider to be his flawed personality and choose to comment on how the president has been focused on his job. A 9th grader stated, “He has good intentions, and if he continues with it, he can make this country better. Yes, he had a couple mess-ups, but so has everyone else.”
     President Trump’s supporters believe his presidency has also benefited the country economically. In January CNBC reported that since Trump became president in 2016, the U.S. stock market increased by approximately $6.9 trillion. Additionally, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 5,000 points in 2017, an all-time record. “He gets more things done than Obama did. He’s more efficient, too,” a 9th grader added.
       Regardless of your opinion of Trump, it’s important to keep up with current events in order to be knowledgeable about what’s going on in our country. A senior from OBHS noted, “It's silly to avoid politics because what might just be politics for us could be actual life-and-death situations for other countries.” As citizens, we have the right to speak our beliefs, but it’s important that we be well-read and educated Americans.