Column: The lessons we learned from the 2016 election, Trump’s inauguration

During the first 100 days of President Donald Trump, many college students, myself especially, have learned a lot about the type of power our presidents have.

During the election, many college students learned about the Electoral College and the role it plays in the election process. The process of the Electoral College continues to be brought up during Trump’s presidency. Before issues with the process were brought up this election season, many students were clueless on the meaning of the Electoral College and what it represented.

We’ve learned it’s a process. It’s a compromise between the vote from Congress and the vote of the qualified citizens to elect our president. We learned that, in order to elect our president, there have to be 270 electoral votes for the presidential candidate. This became a huge deal in Trump’s first few weeks, especially with the controversial rumor of our voting system being hacked by Russia.

We also saw the power of protesters during the first 100 days. The controversy still continues today and will continue throughout Trump’s presidency. We’ve seen many Planned Parenthood and immigration activists, and overall, American citizens have come out in droves supporting and protecting their rights and what they believe in. The first 100 days in office have shown that U.S. citizens will stand united to protect their amendments.

Trump and his chosen leaders have been criticized by young, college women. This demographic has criticized the White House for allowing a group of middle-aged men to make decisions about the female reproductive system. I also agree that we need more women in power to make these decisions, not men who feel that they can control our bodies.

Locally, we’ve seen how the travel ban affects our community. We live near the Mexico border. Protesters have formed a human wall to let the country know that they will resist Trump’s ban. We’ve read so many inspiring stories from the Hispanic families about how the ban will affect them and their neighborhoods. President Trump doesn’t seem phased by these protests as he continues to ignore the situation, showing his lack of understanding for human compassion.

Everyone has continually used the First Amendment to vocalize our support and to unite us closer to each other.

Although this is a major controversy close to home, we’ve also witnessed Trump’s power being demolished when he tried and failed to repeal Obamacare and his other failed attempt to create an immigration ban. We all witnessed the true power that Congress has. Congress has the power to create and approve laws or bills, but they have to be approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

According to Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, “these include the power to declare war, coin money, raise an army and navy, regulate commerce, establish rules of immigration and naturalization and establish the federal courts and their jurisdictions.”

Many college students were still fuzzy about how Congress was able to tell Trump “no.” It just took remembering what we learned in high school government and many public discussions to remember what exactly our constitution says.

Trump’s presidency has caused each and every one of us to feel a certain way. We continue to learn that he isn’t the only person who can make all of the decisions for the American people. We’ve learned more about ourselves, as well. We continue to learn what we believe is right and what we believe is wrong. We continue to stand together and support each other.

Like him or hate him, President Trump still has a ways to go before his term ends.