As of noon today, January 20, reality star Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States. Whether he’s truly ready for his new job remains to be seen, but in the meantime we asked 26 college women if they think he is. Check out their responses below.
“My feelings about Donald Trump being our president-elect have not changed since the election. If anything, his actions over the past few months have made me more concerned. I don’t think he has the knowledge or experience to successfully lead our country.”
–Sarah, College of William & Mary
“Yes he is ready. I haven’t changed my mind, I’ve always liked him.”
-Kristin, Grand Canyon University
“No. But, I did for a second when he changed his position on kicking immigrants out, but with his cabinet picks I am confident he has no idea what he’s doing.”
-Cassie, Winona State University
“I believe even less in his competence since his election. He has proven himself to be completely inept, volatile, and too sensitive to occupy the office of the American presidency.”
-Erin, University of Pennsylvania
“I do not believe that Donald Trump is ready to be president. He has already said that he will remain as a producer on The Apprentice in his ‘spare time’ which shows an underestimation and general lack of understanding of his role as the president of the United States of America. His lack of maturity and poise also shows through in his activity on Twitter. His constant rants, insults, and lies on the social media site reveal an inability to accept criticism and immaturity. A man so immature and irresponsible has no place in The Oval Office. I still believe that we have made a grievous error in electing Donald J. Trump to the presidency.”
-Sydney, Millersville University
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“At first I was hopeful Trump would be a good president. I hoped that he would surround himself with in-the-know people in his cabinet who could really help him take on such a new role and lead the country, especially since he was very gracious during his acceptance speech. I hoped the newfound poise in that speech would set the tone for the next four years. Though I still remain hopeful and approve of some of his cabinet picks (Elaine Chao is a win!), I am worried about Secretary of State choice Rex Tillerson and Attorney General pick Jeff Sessions, and I don’t understand how Ben Carson is fit for Housing and Urban Development. I think Trump went wrong in some of his cabinet picks. It was his chance to get a strong team of insiders to help fulfill his outsider agenda, and instead he surrounded himself with more outsiders who don’t know what they’re doing.”
-Colleen, St. Mary’s College
“We should all have faith and hope that he does a good job.”
-Kim, University of Iowa
“I think Donald Trump is about as ready to be president as any other president has been in the past. There is no official rulebook on how to be POTUS and that has been made evident by the different goals, strategies, and personalities of every past president. I’ve not changed my mind since the election in the sense that I think that he deserves for us to give him a chance, and I intend on giving him support and genuinely hope he is a successful president and moves our country forward. A lot of my friends ‘boycotted’ the inauguration by not watching it, but I think that is immature and ignorant. I would way rather witness and be a part of history than pretend it never happened. We can’t afford to pretend; we would learn nothing.”
-Madeline, University of Utah
“Donald Trump is as ill-prepared to become president as he was the day he announced his campaign.”
-Maria, UC Davis
“I am counting down the days until he is impeached, but I also know that Pence is an even scarier president than Trump, so I worry for the safety of myself and my friends.”
-Jennifer, Kenyon College
“I think Donald Trump is ready to be president because he has the skills and necessary components to be president. He would not have ran if he thought this was a joke. He may have made some mistakes that hurt a lot of people along the way with his comments but he also is watched on his every move and I think if everyone was watched on their every then this world would be a much darker place. Donald Trump speaks the truth and is brutally honest with his opinions, in which we are all entitled to and I think that steers some people away. I have not changed my opinion about him since the election because he is our president. There is nothing we can do about it except accept it and embrace it. I think everyone makes mistakes and as president, you’re still only human.”
-Sara, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
“I personally do not think he is ready to be president. After the election, he hasn’t done anything exceptional or even ‘presidential’ in any way. It’s still all about being in the media for negative things. I think he is still spreading hate, bigotry, xenophobia, sexism, Islamophobia, and as a whole negativity.”
-Simran, University of Windsor
RELATED: Trump’s Cabinet is the Least Diverse Since the Ronald Reagan Administration
“My personal opinion of him remains extremely negative, but I think he tricked a lot of his supporters during the election. I highly doubt he will follow through with many of the promises he made that his supporters were counting on.”
-Amy, Dickinson College
“I don’t think he fully understand what it means to be president and I don’t feel (based on his own speeches) that he has applied enough time to figuring out how things work and what might actually be best for the people and not just his party.”
-Cassandra, Penn State
“I was and slightly am still willing to give him a chance because he has the most important job in this country and even the world. I believe he has the potential, as does anyone who would put themselves in that sort of position. But the fights or ‘wars’ (as the news refers to them) over social media are foolish and belligerent. He is about to be the president, not on Real Housewives. He just needs to get his act together and actually ‘Make America Great Again’.”
-Melissa, University of Alabama
“I am so indifferent and nervous that I don’t even know what is gonna happen within the next week of Trump being in office!”
-Sophia, University of Utah
“He probably is, but that doesn’t mean he should be, right? Still the same mindset: I don’t find him fit to be the president.”
-Veronica, University of Georgia
“You know, I think Trump didn’t actually want to be president at all. I think it started as a half-drunk joke with his golf buddies, a ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be funny if…?’. Now, he’s just trying to see how far he can take it before somebody catches on. He’s just waiting to announce that we’ve all fallen for his episode of celebrity Punk’d.”
-Sylvia, FSU
RELATED: Trump Will Be Entering Office With Some of the Lowest Approval Ratings in History
“No, but I hope he surprises me. I can’t hope for his failure because that’s basically hoping for America’s failure. I haven’t changed my mind about him.”
-Kaitlyn, Virginia Commonwealth University
“I think the real question is: are we ready for him?”
-Kristin, University of Georgia
“Yes. I think he’s going to be a great president!”
-Katie, Virginia Tech
“I never thought Donald Trump was a good candidate or a good person, and I certainly did not vote for him in the election. However, throughout this past week of hearings for his cabinet nominees, I have become more fearful for the future of our country than I was before. As someone going into the field of education, watching Betsy DeVos lie about her involvement with her mother’s foundation and struggle with questions about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act not only made me angry, but it saddened me. I fear she will be a disaster for public education and many of Trump’s cabinet members are equally ill-equipped to carry out the position for which they have been nominated.”
-Kristen, University of Alabama
“I do not think Donald Trump is ready to be president by any means. I never supported him but since he was elected, I tried to give him a chance. I don’t want him to fail, but it’s really hard for me to believe that he won’t. I support him even less now than I did during the election, which I didn’t think was possible.”
-Paige, Central Michigan University
“He’ll never be ready; he doesn’t have an ounce of humility or patience or compromise in his body. I’m more scared than ever following the election, because we’ve elected someone who not only refuses to understand the complex and nuanced government systems, but has problematic morals and social perspectives as well.”
-Valentina, Cal Poly
“I fully support Donald Trump, I have since day one and there is not a doubt in my mind that he is going to be an amazing president to this country. Our country needs extreme change and that is exactly what Donald Trump is going to do. I am so proud of this country and the direction it is going in.”
-Serena, Manhattanville College
“We can only hope at this point…”
-Lauren, Emerson College