The first several weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency have been full of changes, many of which he promised during his campaign. However, some changes were met with great controversy among various groups. Specifically, environmentalists have raised concerns over Trump’s proposed reduction of funding to the Environmental Protection Agency and lifting of pollution restrictions, according to the Independent.
Trump denied climate change during his presidential campaign but his newly appointed EPA head, Scott Pruitt commented that, “I do not believe climate change is a hoax.” Just days after the inauguration, Trump enacted the travel ban on seven predominantly Muslim countries, inhibiting the travel of millions of individuals.
According to an article in the Washington Post, questions were raised by many politicians over whether it was unconstitutional or not, causing a court case against the ban. As promised, Trump signed an executive order within his first few days in office to repeal the Affordable Care Act with the promise that a much better plan will take its place.
Since the current healthcare policy is so expansive, it cannot be dismantled overnight and a new plan must replace it. The president appointed numerous people to his cabinet such as Betsy DeVos for the Secretary of Education and Jim Mattis as head of Department of Defense. Trump’s appointees have been criticized as incompetent and unfit for their roles.
The Washington Post reported that Senator Bernie Sanders attacked DeVos at a hearing after she was appointed, “Do you think if you were not a multi-billionaire, if your family had not made hundreds of millions of dollars of contributions to the Republican party that you would be sitting here today?” Conversely, Trump has been under fire for his attacks on the press. He claims that they are full of false messages and cannot be trusted.
Certain left-leaning news channels were prevented from attending a press conference by White House officials earlier this month, according to the New York Times. Furthermore, Trump claims former president Obama wiretapped him during the presidential election, accusing him of a federal crime. Trump has also signed an executive order to begin construction on the wall to be built between the United States and Mexico, which was a cornerstone of his campaign. He claimed it would make America safer by impeding illegal immigrants from crossing the border while providing a more appealing way for legal entry into the United States, all paid for by Mexico.
An anonymous second year civil engineering student, who voted for Trump, commented on his presidency: “Donald Trump becoming president will hopefully reduce the amount I pay in taxes,” but suggested that “he should pay attention to his advisors before he takes action.”
