It’s been a year since Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. While some IU students are satisfied with what Trump has accomplished, others are worried for what’s to come.
Isabella Frieze, an IU senior and former president of College Democrats at IU, expressed concerns about Trump’s policies and their relation to Project 2025. Project 2025 was a document created by the Heritage Foundation as a roadmap for right-wing policies and preserving hardcore conservative values.
“It’s a horrible thing, and we’re really facing the outcomes of that being put into play,” Frieze said.
Monroe County voted 62.1% for Kamala Harris and 35.1% for Trump, an anomaly in Indiana, a state that was won by Trump. Many counties in Indiana, especially more working-class ones, shifted further right toward Trump.
“Before Trump got elected, I was definitely afraid because I felt like Trump doesn’t necessarily care about the middle and lower class,” said Ansh Nandurbarkar, a freshman at IU. “I hope he really tries to unite the American people because we’ve been so divided recently.”
Now that Trump has been in office for almost a year, many of his plans have already started.
Most notably, immigration has been at the top of Trump’s list of priorities, with him giving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement more authority to detain immigrants without legal status.
Dillon Burns, a junior at IU and the president of College Republicans at IU, said he believes the administration has been doing a “phenomenal job at stopping illegal immigration.”
“You can’t be rewarding individuals for cutting the line, there is still a process at the end of the day,” Burns said. “I appreciate the work he has done to secure our borders.”
Frieze, however, said she disliked his approach to tackling immigration. Currently completing an internship in Washington D.C., Frieze hasn’t enjoyed seeing ICE officers and supporters in her daily commutes.
Additionally, Trump’s economic actions have left the country divided. When he was sworn into office, he promised tariffs on foreign countries.
On April 2, deemed “Liberation Day”, the Trump administration levied higher tariffs on every country, a move some students support while others fear it will hurt the American consumer.
“I know everyone lost their minds on Liberation Day,” Burns said. “You look at economic data in spans of years and decades, and we’ve already seen a complete rebound in the stock market from that.
“While he’s trying to bring stuff back to the United States, we’re not really seeing that being reflected in prices today,” Frieze said.
Americans had mixed feelings toward tariffs originally. According to a study from August 4-10 done by Pew Research Center, about 61% of Americans disapproved of the Trump administration’s tariff policies.
More recent polls in late September from ABC News and the Washington Post show this number has stayed largely the same. The majority Americans say they’re having to spend more on groceries and utilities.
Burns said he liked Trump’s focus on the economy, from the original tariffs to foreign trade deals.
“Continuing to leverage the economic forces we have, or the tools available that we have to negotiate better deals, is going to be something that will hopefully be an effort of the Trump administration,” Burns said.
IU freshman Siddu Kamma, born into a primarily Republican household, has changed his view on Trump, originally having high hopes. Now, he hopes to see smarter and strategic actions.
He also expressed his disdain for the White House’s new ballroom addition, saying “it’s just a waste of taxpayer dollars,” and wishes for better foreign relationships with countries such as Russia and China.
Although Indiana has historically been a red state, Bloomington and Monroe County have voted reliably democratic in recent elections. Last month, a local chapter of 50501 organized a No Kings protest, leading to over 1,300 protestors with the goal to unite people together.
Despite this, IU students continue to have differing opinions, from Democrats who fear Trump’s actions could threaten democracy, to Republicans who believe the administration is taking the right steps for the country.
“I fear it’s just going to get scarier,” Frieze said. “We need to have more people trying to fight back because if we let him continue to do whatever he wants, it’s going to leave the country in shambles.”
