How American college students feel about a Trump presidency
Updated
I had the privilege of being in America for the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States.
I'm currently in Texas, where I'm a visiting professor at Houston Baptist University. A few days before the inauguration, I sat down with some of my students and asked them to explain how Mr Trump got elected and how they felt about it.
Exit polls revealed Mr Trump did very well in the election with voters who are white, live in rural areas, have not graduated college, and who are over the age of 40.
But what about people who do not fit that profile — for example, college students in their early 20s, who live in a largely urban, multi-ethnic city like Houston?
Were they surprised Mr Trump had won? I wanted to know. Did they believe he would "make America great again," as he has claimed he will do?
And, regardless of whether they liked or loathed him, what did they hope a Trump presidency would achieve for their country?
I was also motivated by articles that seek to help young people "grieve" Mr Trump's victory. Are all millennials hiding in their safe spaces and hugging a therapy bear, or are others more sanguine, perhaps even upbeat, about Mr Trump's prospects?
They were a great bunch of students who shared their political hopes and frustrations with me and in turn I shared Vegemite crackers and Tim Tams with them (no guesses for which one they preferred).
Their answers suggest they think Mr Trump won largely because of widespread disenchantment with the political class; people hope his business acumen will translate into economic prosperity for America.
And while the younger generation seems to be allergic to many of Mr Trump's adversarial antics, many are willing to wait and see if his unorthodox politics will lead to a political do-over and end the downward pressure on the working class.
Were you surprised that Trump won?
Daniel, a 24-year-old Jamaican immigrant and medical-humanities major, gave an emphatic "Yes".
"Everyone thought Trump was a joke," he told me. "Nobody took him seriously."
Other students were less shocked by Mr Trump's victory.
"No, I'm not surprised," said Genesis, a 20-year-old, first generation El Salvadorian woman and biochemistry major.
"The Democrat administration did nothing for us; Republicans made it easier to get access to immigration papers."
"It was way easier to immigrate under George H. Bush Senior than it was under Obama," Genesis added.
"The Democrats talk good but are often ineffective."
Why do you think Trump won?
On this question, the students were largely in agreement.
For Hahn, a 21-year-old Texan man and Christianity major, it all came down to "the way he communicated".
"[Trump] said he's actually gonna do something about all the issues people are upset with," Hahn said.
"He took seriously what the American people were upset about. This caused the American people to say, 'Yeah, he doesn't have a lot of political experience but at least he's gonna do something about it'."
Similarly, Austin, a 22-year-old Texan and kinesiology major, said a big part of Mr Trump's appeal was that he was a political outsider.
"So many people had the 'fight against the machine' mentality of not electing another politician and Trump was the perfect man for that," Austin said.
"He was not only not a politician, he was vocal about politicians who've done nothing and he voiced what a lot of people think but are not willing to say."
Do you think Trump will make America great again?
Daniel, a Jamaican immigrant, laughed out loud when I asked him whether he believed Mr Trump could change America for the better.
"I don't have a problem with making America great again," he said.
"The thing is that I never saw America as being bad in the first place. I didn't think of it as a kind of dystopian treacherous nation that wasn't working any more.
"For me, as an immigrant, I think it is still the best time to live in America. There is so much opportunity here, especially in Texas and in Houston in terms of the welcoming nature of the place, and the whole idea that if you work hard you can succeed."
Hahn, a local Texan, agreed.
"I didn't think America was bad in the first place," he said.
"Certainly, we have our issues and things we need to fix, but I think America is a pretty good place already. But in terms of our economy, Trump is a very shrewd businessman, so I think he can do a lot of good for our economy. So economically speaking, I think he can make America great again."
Is there anything about a Trump presidency that you're afraid of?
"I'm personally not afraid," said Genesis.
"I think as a Christian I put my faith and trust in God and whoever is in power is not as great as my God is.
"I think God planned it this way and if he put [Trump] there, that's for some weird reason. But if anything were to happen ... if he were to seriously go with deporting innocent families ... I'd probably want to do something about it.
"I'm not scared because I know that I have the freedom of speech and the freedom to assemble. So, if anything were to happen in that case, I know I can deal with it."
One concern that most of the students shared was about Mr Trump's rhetoric and encouragement of hate-speech.
"I think the main thing I'm afraid of is the way Trump kind of fuelled his campaign off of hate and I think that enables a lot of people to speak their mind and start taking more rash actions," said Austin.
"My biggest fear is him continuing this trend of enabling hate and not really doing anything to stop that and thriving off that."
Daniel added: "I'm honestly not scared of anything Trump will do in terms of the economy and policies. But I am sort of afraid of people not having that filter like they used to, that kind of demagogue mentality."
What is the best thing Donald Trump could do?
The students I interviewed were unanimously hopeful that Mr Trump could renew the economy and would be an economic saviour to struggling industries.
For Hahn, Mr Trump offered a new posture in foreign policy.
"I think he'll do really well for the American economy and not just that but foreign policy, too," he said.
"I think it's good that we are doing things in countries like Iraq and helping out with the conflict over there, but in the past, we have got a little too involved and neglected issues in our own proximity like immigration and making sure these immigrants become citizens."
Meanwhile, Genesis said she wished Mr Trump would "think of the people he's spoken against and try to learn more about [them]" — particularly the Islamic and Mexican communities who Trump had "totally dissed".
She said Mr Trump needs to realise that "if you're really gonna make policies, go out and reach out to people and see where they come from, that's the best he could do."
It would also help, she said, if Mr Trump acknowledged when he was kidding or being hyperbolic. And above all, "he shouldn't have a Twitter account or a phone or even a microphone," Genesis added.
However, some students respected Mr Trump's unorthodox approach to politics — the way he avoids the bland, scripted niceties of governing and instead 'talks straight' about how he believes problems should be addressed.
"He's refreshing in the sense of something new and maybe he can shake up the structure that's here," suggested Daniel.
'The most predictable thing about Trump is his unpredictability'
If I had to summarise how these students viewed Mr Trump, it would be this: partial revulsion and cautious optimism.
Part of the problem is that the only predictable thing about Mr Trump is that he's unpredictable.
He does not map onto the usual left/right divide, he makes inflammatory comments, then tries to put out the fires. He overstates his case but soon backtracks, frequently contradicts himself, and even as he tries to be magnanimous, soon returns fire on critics.
Certainly, it is hard to assess the prospects of a leader who is wildly populist, inconsistent on policy, and given to peculiar outbursts on social media.
Then again, and as some of my students suggested, a little bit of crazy might be just what America needs right now.
Rev. Dr. Michael Bird is a lecturer in Theology at Ridley College and Distinguished Visiting Research Professor at Houston Baptist University.
Topics: us-elections, immigration, youth, world-politics, people, united-states
First posted
