HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump returned to the white house for his second term, becoming the second U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms. Following his inauguration, community members have shared their thoughts about Trump’s return.
Trump, who signed several executive orders on his first day, from ending birthright citizenship to delaying a TikTok ban, has spurred mixed feelings among the community. Some look forward to having Trump in office but are concerned about the President’s online persona.
“I’m hopeful because we live in America. We love when we conflict and things come together, so maybe in Trump’s second term, he can learn from the mistakes the first time, maybe stay off of Twitter and do a lot of great things for this country, because you never know,” Community member and former civics teacher Eric Dixon said.
Isaac Castro, another resident, agreed with Dixon.
I’m still rooting for him to do the best he can,” Castro said. “But keep the theatrics out.”
Others, like one community member who wanted to go by Susanna, expressed their unwavering support for Trump and his policies.
”I’m very happy that Donald J. Trump was elected President of the United States, and we hope that he can keep most or all of his promises,” Susanna said, “Like helping the American people and concentrating on us, not the foreign people, and getting rid of the criminals that have come over our borders.”
Meanwhile, some community members are worried about a second Trump presidency. Madison and David, two residents who did not disclose their last names, said they were anxious about what the next four years could bring.
“I’m nervous. think there’s been a lot of scary rhetoric being thrown around revolving around the election and things that’ll be happening in the next four years,” Madison said.
One anonymous resident said he might leave the United States.
“I am honestly looking for a new country, but not because of the citizens,” he said. “The elected officials have gone so far off course; they just can’t be trusted.”
Another anonymous resident is not only dissatisfied with Trump, but with U.S. politics in general. In recent years, he’s been unhappy with multiple politicians, regardless of party affiliation.
“George W. Bush, Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden, to me, have all been an embarrassment to the country. The people have re-elected Mr. Trump, so I am not too positive,” The anonymous resident said. “We’ll have to wait and see, but if he does some of the things he’s talking about, I think it’s going to be pretty scary.”
Politics aren’t always black and white for people in the valley. Across the aisle, voters seem to want the same things.
“90% of Americans believe in the same stuff. If you look at the polls of what Republicans and Democrats actually believe in and what the middle is, because as a former civics’ teacher, you look at the middle.” Dixon said. “That’s who decides the elections. This polar opposite stuff needs to stop.”
Regardless of party affiliation, voters throughout the area aren’t too different from one another.
“I’d really like to see more respect for the truth, more compassion for what their stories are,” David said. “Power is through community, and we don’t really have much of that now.”
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