Although the election of President-elect Donald Trump is on the minds of many Americans, there are still two months until inauguration day on January 20. In the meantime, students have expressed mixed expectations about what President Joe Biden will accomplish during the final months of his presidency.
Sophomore Isabella Hart said she hopes that Biden will finish off his presidency strong before Trump’s inauguration.
“Whatever is in the works in terms of certain policies, I hope that he’s able to finish those out,” Hart said. “I’m just hoping that he can solidify as much as he can in terms of healthcare and women’s rights and the environment going forward.”
Hart acknowledges that the Biden administration was not perfect, but she appreciates the president’s efforts to preserve unity and strength within the country.
“I support the next presidency, even though it’s opposing what I view because we don’t need any more division right now,” Hart said. “I also encourage people who are hurt and worried about how they will be affected with this next presidency, I hope that they feel free to voice those in a respectful way.”
Freshman music industry major Diya Kodgire said she found Biden’s term underwhelming.
“I feel like a lot of presidents during their campaign promise things, and then they end up in office and don’t do half of them,” Kodgire said.
Kodgire doubts that Biden will enact any major policy change during the last stretch of his term.
“I don’t think he has enough time to start something new and then get it approved in this time span,” Kodgire said. “I hope he does because it’s the only time for him to pass any democratic policy before the next four years.”
Similarly, sophomore Tamar Karakozian believes it will be hard for the president to transform the country on such a short timeline.
“I don’t know if there’s that much that can happen in four months,” Karakozian, a biology major, said. “I feel like everyone’s focused on the next four years.”
Senior Maximus Allen, an English and theater major, shared Karakozian’s sentiments. Allen said that he is skeptical that the president can enact any significant policy changes during the final leg of his time in office.
“He’s been kind of out of the limelight since the summertime, so I’m not sure if he’ll be more active in these last few months or if he will just kind of fade out like he has been doing,” Allen said. “He might try to lean more into the extreme and make further change before things are handed over to Donald Trump.”
In Trump’s first term, he took steps to undo former President Barack Obama’s accomplishments, such as eliminating Obamacare and weakening relations with Cuba. Andrew Johnson, a visiting assistant professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University, thinks a similar scenario will occur.
“Instead of things like radical executive action to complete his promise to forgive loans or to do other policy action, instead [the Biden administration] will spend their time putting [on] band-aids that the Trump administration will undo relatively quickly,” Johnson said.
In Biden’s address to the nation on Thursday morning, he promised a “peaceful transfer of power here in America.” However, freshman Aleeza Umboh is bracing herself for unrest and chaos in the near future.
“The transition from him to Trump, we’re going to feel it,” Umboh, a legal studies major. “I feel like there’s going to be a lot of conflict, hopefully nothing crazy like physical violence, but it’s not going to be a smooth transition.”
While freshman chemistry major Foram Patel has not forgotten the violent insurrection that occurred following Biden’s victory in 2020, she remains hopeful that this upcoming transition of power will be less violent than the last.
“The transition from Republican to Democrats was not a peaceful one, but I think the Democrats will handle it well when it comes to a peaceful transition of power,” Patel said.
Many students said that the stigma surrounding the Trump administration’s ability to diplomatically approach the transfer of power is stuck in their minds, but Johnson thinks otherwise.
“There is a sort of media speculation that the Trump administration has forgone the normal process of transition,” Johnson said. “I’m sure that will be papered over sometime soon, but mainly, it’s about staffing the government, and it’s about making preparations for what they will do once they come to office.”
While students have mixed feelings about Biden’s actions as president, a majority said they want to see a peaceful transition of power. Trump will be sworn into office at his inauguration on January 20, 2025.