After an intense campaign season, President-elect Donald Trump returned to Washington Wednesday for a cordial sit-down with President Biden to begin the process for an orderly transition of power.
While politicians may put aside their differences out of necessity, Trojans are divided on whether they would sit down with someone who voted differently than them. Ahead of the holiday season, some students are anticipating difficult conversations ahead.
“I’m a woman [and] I think there’s certain political views that infringe on the rights of women,” said Charlotte Dore, a freshman majoring in popular music performance. “There’s a difference between having views on things like finances versus basic human rights.”
The Pew Research Center reported in 2020 that the U.S. is uniquely politically divided on issues of the economy, climate change, foreign policies and racial injustice.
Leyi Sun, a second-year graduate student majoring in communications data science, said she believes it is possible to be friends with someone without sharing their political ideology.
“Some of my friends, we came together from China, so we kind of agree to some of the policies there and for American policies,” Sun said. “We mostly support abortion and also we support some of the more democratic parts of the environmental friendly policies, but not all of them.”
Chinese officials have expressed that they would work on the basis of mutual respect with the Trump administration as the country prepares for steep trade tariffs.
Christine Quang, a sophomore undeclared major who voted for Kamala Harris, said she likely could not be friends with someone with significantly different political views.
“I just don’t think I could be friends with someone who’s a Republican who supports Donald Trump,” Quang said. “A very obvious one is abortion laws, but also our healthcare, immigration and people getting worried they’re getting deported.”
As Trump prepares for his return to the White House, the president-elect has been vocal about enacting a mass deportation of undocumented migrants on day one in office.
Dore said she will avoid talking about certain political topics during Thanksgiving break, but that with human rights on the line, she hopes her family will show compassion.
“I am a queer person, and if I’m dating a woman or something, and I just bring up something that’s normal in my life, that could face judgment,” Dore said. You just hope that the people you love still care about you enough to understand where you’re coming from and that you deserve basic human rights.”
Remedios Abrica, a sophomore majoring in environmental studies, said she doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving but her family still holds a dinner. She noted her family agrees on most major political issues except for religion.
“I would say that if there’s any policies or anything regarding the main focuses, we do see eye-to-eye in that,” Abrica said. “Even if we may not initially agree on something, we always come to a compromise after talking or looking at more information.”