First-Time Voters React to Trump's First 100 Days

On Nov. 8, 2016, 18 through 22 year olds across the nation voted in their first United States presidential election.

From attempted immigration reform executive orders to the instatement of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, President Donald Trump has made headlines since the day he took office. As it is now just past the 100-day mark of the new administration, first-time voters have had the opportunity to consider the results.

“My thoughts on Trump’s first 100 days are, as Trump himself puts it, ‘sad,’” said Binghamton University sophomore Steven Rothman. “I just can’t believe that the person who runs our country isn’t mature enough to step away from the keyboard.”

Rothman, originally from Plainview, is one of many first-time voters who grew up in Nassau County and is now being exposed to the ideologies associated with other locations. Hillary Clinton won the historically liberal county with a total of 58.8 percent of the vote.

“The constant trips to go golfing and the secrecy with Russia have really put me off,” Rothman said.

Other first-time voters are more optimistic about the future of the administration.

“There are going to be people that are upset with what Trump has and has not done in his first 100 days,” said University of North Carolina sophomore Nick Tavel. “I think it’s important to realize he’s never been a politician and now he’s in charge of the free world. It’s a huge step in the right direction that he was willing to admit that the job is harder than he thought.”

Tavel, also from Plainview, feels as though his experiences as an out-of-state student at college have given him a greater political understanding.

“My hometown certainly had an impact on my political perspective,” Tavel said. “Growing up where I did has given me a strong foundation for understanding what drives the democratic perspective. After spending time in North Carolina, I have developed a much better understanding of the Republican point of view.”

After such a polarizing and politically charged election cycle, some students feel that the atmosphere on college campuses has changed.

“The election created a very tense environment on my campus,” Rothman said.

Class walkouts, violent protests and school cancellations became commonplace on college campuses in the days following Trump’s victory.

“The election had a major impact on campus, particularly in the first few weeks,” Tavel said. “The day after the election, a huge rally of thousands of students formed in the central quad.”

Regardless of political opinions, some students’ primary issue with the election cycle was the severe polarization it induced.

“What really upset me…was the harsh divide of those on opposite sides of the vote,” Rothman said. “From Trump being called racist to Hillary being tortured for her emails, I felt a lot of the rhetoric was less about the what the candidates could do for our country and more about why the other candidate was terrible.”

Sam Gozinsky, Syracuse University sophomore, also expressed concerns about the qualifications of the candidates as well as the accomplishments of the new administration’s first 100 days.

“I think it’s a shame that it was our first election,” he said. “But I’m still happy I finally got to participate.”