Donald Trump is officially the 45th president of the United States, and students from the recent inauguration trip hold both similar and different perspectives on the new President and the experience as a whole.

Between the speech, the protests, and the crowd, social studies teacher Gina Johnston and the nine students say there were many parts of the trip they will remember.

“I’d say the number of people who were there, they were supportive and happy and they were just in a really good mood despite what we saw on the news,” Johnston said. “The people at the inauguration loved America and they were really happy to be there.”

“Going to the inauguration itself, it was just so interesting seeing all the different people,” senior Connor Truex said. “In front of our security checkpoint there were actually people standing with signs preaching as we sat in line.”

“Something that was unexpected, at least for me, was how the whole atmosphere of Washington D.C had changed,” junior Zach Deans said. “Instead of the warm atmosphere it had back when I visited in eighth grade there was an uneasiness about it the closer you got to the crowd waiting for Trump to be sworn into office.”

Around the inauguration there was some rioting and backlash against the incoming president. One peaceful protest the students witnessed was the Women’s March on Washington.

“I saw part of the Women’s March and I didn’t expect to see it and I didn’t expect that it would go so smoothly, but I was happy to see it,” sophomore Marissa Helms said.

“The Women’s March was kind of throughout the whole city,” Johnston said. “So any place we went we saw the Women’s March and they held their signs and were fine, but they weren’t very nice to people who were wearing Trump clothing. That was very disappointing to see.”

Similar to the mixed reactions throughout the country, students and Johnston also interpreted President Trump’s speech with varying attitudes.

“I think it was more of a warm-up speech,” Deans said. “It was really to rally the supporters in the crowd and for anyone who was a undecided, he wants to get America fired up without really having to make an example.”

“I think it was the right length but I do I think some of the stuff he said was a little hard to believe,”Helms said. “I do hope that everything he says works out and I hope that this was the right speech for this time.”

“I believe that he will bring us a stronger economy and I honestly don’t know what to believe and I’m just going to judge him through his actions,” Truex said.

“He was trying to pump up the nation and he got the crowd really excited and I don’t know what the news said after but the people there liked it,” Johnston said.