Fewer than 100 days ago, Donald Trump was inaugurated into office as the 47th president of the United States, and in the days since then, he has broken the record for most executive orders in the first 100 days, with 137 having been made at the time this article is being written. His most significant being the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and his imposed tariffs. In this short time, he has rapidly changed the U.S. and has enacted policies never seen before by a president. Whether you love him, hate him, or are apathetic towards him, Trump’s presidency will certainly make an impact both globally and domestically, has changed the way we think about the past and how we approach the future, and may even change the U.S. as we know it.
On Jan. 20, 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was created, becoming arguably the most controversial of Trump’s actions. DOGE was created to save the government money, and in its short time alive, the department has done very little. Initially, Head of DOGE, Elon Musk, stated that the department would save over 2 trillion dollars from US government spending; however, that number has since been lowered to $150 billion (2.15% of the total government budget). Musk states DOGE has saved over $130 billion (1.95%). However, independent studies show that many of the savings reported have already been paid and will therefore not save any money. Additionally, some of the cuts made actually cost the government money. For example, the National Park Service makes a profit of $55.6 billion, yet their budget was cut, which will likely negatively affect its profit.
Many of the programs being cut are there to help Americans living below the poverty line, who cannot afford to eat nutritious foods, or who have to choose between rent and medicine. Every year, 180,000 Americans die because of poverty, because these people cannot afford food, clean living conditions, or healthcare. “I think it’s shameful that Jeff Bezos is sending space tours up for 11 minute joy rides when he could easily be solving a lot of these problems with one quick payment,” Ms. Sperber said. “If there was a real concern for humanity, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg could take their billions and billions of dollars and actually do good, and people are dying because they don’t.”
DOGE has also stirred up controversies due to its power and lack of checks and balances.“DOGE is not a department,” said history teacher Stephanie Sperber. “Departments are created by Congress. DOGE is just private citizens gaining access to private citizens’ private information. DOGE is bullying parts of the government that they see as unnecessary.”
Recently, Elon Musk decided to move away from DOGE, however the program will still remain. In his short time as the head of a government agency, Musk
Another controversy stirred by Trump is his initiative to remove DEIB programs across the country. DEIB stands for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The goal of DEIB is to create places where everyone feels comfortable, safe and like they belong, with a focus on peoples who have historically and currently are underrepresented or discriminated against, such as women, people of color, queer people, veterans, and other underprivileged communities.
The removal of DEIB policies has created worry and fear amongst people in the KO community. “Personally, as a woman, I fear for the future,” junior Sienna Dubois said, “that the policies will affect my reproductive rights, and the removal of DEIB will hurt me in the workplace.” One misconception about the DEIB program is that DEIB means that these people are given special privileges, and that job selection will hire people based on their race, sex, or identity. However, DEIB aims to do the exact opposite, by trying to prevent these communities from feeling unsafe or marginalized, and give everyone an equal opportunity. “I’m a firm believer that this work is designed to bring people together,” said DEIB director Richard Mutts. “Not to give unfair advantages to anybody, but to understand that we all deserve opportunities based on our own merit, based on our work ethic, based on who we are as individuals.”
The dismantling of DEIB programs may lessen the protections toward minorities and allow for further discrimination against these communities. “America has been shaped as that melting pot where we can all thrive and be successful,” Mr. Mutts said. “I totally disagree with some of the language and some of the misconceptions about the policies and barriers that are being placed and I feel sorry and I feel sad for people that are losing jobs and careers and impact because of it.”
Trump has also made foreign policy changes, the most influential being the recent tariffs. Tariffs are a type of tax, placed on opposing countries. Tariffs cost the companies in other countries money to export to the United States, for example, if a company is in a country with 50% tariffs, and they ship a $10 product to the US, they will also be charged a five dollar tax on top of the cost. Trump imposed tariffs on the whole world, with a minimum 10% tariff aimed at every country, with higher tariffs aimed at China, Taiwan, Switzerland, in fact, very few countries were hit with the minimum figure, and a majority of countries had 20% or more tariffs imposed on them. 25% tariffs were to be brought onto car parts, cars, aluminum, steel, and much more. Soon after their inception, these tariffs were paused for 90 days. Mostly due to a massive drop in the stock market and negative reactions from bond holders.
However, it’s important to note that many companies were planning to raise their prices if the tariffs were enacted. For example, sneaker prices were set to increase by about 50% for many large brands, such as Nike and On Cloud. Imported cars and car parts were hit with 25% tariffs, meaning all cars will be thousands of dollars more expensive than before, as even american made cars use foreign parts. Clothing and medicine would be more expensive as well. Essentially, anything not made in America will be less accessible to many people around the U.S. “I disagree with the notion that it’s creating manufacturing in America,” junior Jackson Poulin said. “There have been few companies that have built factories in the U.S. It’s just creating a hostile environment in the nation. It’s making life harder for people that can’t afford to have harder lives, and it’s oppressing the general public and not allowing us to be American.”
Trump is also generating quite a stir amongst politicians, on both sides of the spectrum, and he has created fear amongst Connecticut’s own representatives, and many other democrats and moderates. From Mar. 16-21, a group of students went to DC with Stephanie Sperber, they explored DC, and visited many museums and historical monuments, met people from all over the US, and worked to improve their political efficacy through debates and seminars. During this trip, students spoke to people who worked for Connecticut’s Senators and Representatives, and every single one of them displayed fear toward the current government, and spoke about the feeling of helplessness, unable to do anything about the policies enacted by Trump, “In a democracy, there shouldn’t be fear,” Jackson said. “The hostility that’s being created in government as of right now is a great threat to our nation, our Constitution and our rights as people. The current Trump administration is attacking free speech, not just in the media, but he’s also going against political opponents and dissidents, which is right out of the authoritarian playbook, and really concerning for political history.”
Trump’s first 100 days in office were quite eventful. In a few months, our country has experienced a complete shift, both foreign and domestic policy has been shaken up, and many people are divided over their opinions on what should be done, especially in relation to tariffs and DOGE. Trump has certainly made an impact on the world in less than four months, and if this continues, the next four years are shaping up to be divisive, historic, and quite noteworthy.
