President Donald Trump returned to the White House on January 20th, 2025. His first 100 days back have been marked by a record-breaking 143 executive orders, sparking strong reactions across the political spectrum, with drastic changes in immigration, trade, defense, and social policy.
Immigration has been central to the Trump administration’s agenda, creating highly debated actions such as the Laken Riley Act, which the Congressional Research Services describes as a bill that “requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.” Supporters say that the act strengthens public safety and deters repeat offenders, and according to Customs and Border Protection, illegal border crossings have dropped by 28% since January. However, critics argue that the policy has resulted in many unwarranted deportations and overreach. One example is Ranjani Srinivasan, a Ph.D student in urban planning at Columbia University. Despite being in good academic standing, she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and deported within days. In response to mass confusion over Srinivasan’s deportation, the DHS issued a statement saying the reason for her revoked visa was due to her being “involved in activities supporting Hamas, a terrorist organization.” The department provided no evidence, but many suspected that the “activities” being referred to were Srinivasan’s involvement in a nonviolent, pro-Palestine protest.
Beyond immigration, Trump’s economic policies have been dominated by extreme trade measures. He invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in order to impose a blanket 10% tariff on all imports to the U.S., which went into effect on April 5th, 2025. He added even more tariffs on top of the 10% on countries with significant trade to the U.S., such as China, with tariffs as high as 125%. These tariffs have led to many Americans worrying about the possible impact that may come in the winter months, many suggesting that there won’t be enough gifts to go around come Christmas time. Yet, some manufacturing sectors seem to be responding positively to these economic changes. According to the Institute for Supply Management, U.S. factory activity grew in March for the first time in seven months, possibly supporting Trump’s past claims that instituting tariffs would create more U.S. factory jobs.
Some WFS students are in support of Trump’s economics, Henrik Maansson 27’ saying, “Trump’s tariffs are good because it brings other countries to the deal table and he is bringing production back to the U.S.” Others remain critical as Matthew Fineman 26’ said, “I do not support Trump’s economic policies, they show a lack of understanding of global markets and have only risen the price of goods for Americans while causing a decline in industry.”
One other controversy that arose surrounded Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the app “Signal” for official military communication. This caused many to raise legal and ethical concerns about using a publicly available app to communicate such sensitive information. Hegseth participated in over a dozen “Signal” chats involving classified military operations and travel plans. This information ended up being shared with the editor in chief of The Atlantic, Hegseth’s wife, and his brother. All of these actions and many more have led to Trump’s approval rating in the U.S. dropping to just about 40%, but what does WFS think of Trump so far?
According to a recent poll of 44 WFS students,
81.8% said they are not in support of Trump’s actions and
policies so far, 13.6% expressed support, and 4.5% said they were unsure of where they stand. As one anonymous student said, “His policies seem extreme, and the application is too fast. I am worried about the people who most need support in this country – those who are economically unstable, unhoused, don’t have citizenship, children, etc. His policies seem focused on money rather than humanity.”
No matter where you stand, one thing is clear: Trump’s policies have a big impact, which has sparked great debate across the country and at WFS. As Trump’s second term continues, his policies will continue to shape the country in important ways, making it all the more important for students to stay informed and engaged with the changing world around them.
