By Juliana Blatzheim Posted December 20, 2024
With 295 electoral college votes, Donald Trump beat Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and will be the 47th United States President. He will be serving his second term and plans to use his presidency differently than his first term. Alongside Trump is vice president, JD Vance who previously served as a senator for Ohio.
Agenda 47
Agenda 47 is Donald Trump’s manifesto, including his policies and goals for his presidency. This plan which can be found on Trump’s campaign site gives America a look into the next four years under the new president.
Immigration
President Trump’s agenda includes sealing and enforcing the border to prevent illegal immigration and focusing on a deportation procedure. Trump previously announced this plan in his first term of presidency from 2016 to 2020, but it was never brought to fruition. Although Trump and Vance have ambitious plans for this operation, the acting director of the agency during the Obama administration, John Sandweg says this is not economically feasible. This remains one of Trump’s highest priorities and his promise includes deporting millions of undocumented immigrants.
Economy
Trump’s campaign also included efforts to make America more affordable and cut taxes for the working class. The returning president hopes to unite the country and bring it “record levels of success”. Spanish teacher, Mr. John Guevarra, wishes to see improvement in the economic state of the United States.
“We need a drastic change for the better of the citizens of the United States and the working class and I think if our economy gets better we will be a more united society,” said Guevarra. “Everyone’s struggling so much and we need to be united.”
In addition to his plans to end inflation, Trump intends to cut government spending and reform the country’s health and food systems. The new president will be working closely with Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to put these changes into action.
To grow the economy, Trump has expressed his intent to remove 10 regulatory rules to create a deregulated environment. The incoming president has also promised to increase tariffs on Chinese products to 60% and a baseline tariff of 10% which he believes will generate a boost in federal revenue. He has also promised to put a 25% tariff on all goods coming from Canada and Mexico. The Trump administration is also looking to focus on cutting taxes which will increase investment, productivity, and economic growth which should level out the tax cuts.
Conflict in the Middle East
President Trump plans to put all the disputes in the Middle East to rest. Trump intends to set back the pro-Palestine movement and has promised to bring back a version of the Muslim ban which prevents people from Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. Trump and his administration are working to aid Israel and intend to give anything needed to defend the country.
In addition to putting the war to rest and “making Israel great again”, Trump also strives to limit Iran and prevent them from possessing a nuclear weapon. Trump believes that could be a possible threat to America, and all efforts should be taken to prevent them from gaining more power.
Trump’s Cabinet
President Trump has begun making his selections to fill his cabinet. This group of confidants will advise Trump throughout his second term. The president has selected Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and military veteran, as the pick for Defense Secretary. Although Hegseth has never held a political office, Trump maintains the opinion that the veteran will be of great help with the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Trump would also like to see Robert F Kennedy Jr, an environmental lawyer and former rival who has been working closely with the president, leading the Department of Health and Human Services.
In addition to these nominees, Trump has picked Senator Marco Rubio for Secretary of State, prosecutor Pam Bondi for Attorney General, Governor Doug Burgum for Department of the Interior, Dr. Marty Makary to lead the Food and Drug Administration, Congressman Doug Collins to lead the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Governor Kristi Noem for Homeland Security, congressman and Fox Business host Sean Duffy to lead Department of Transportation, oil and gas industry executive Chris Wright for Department of Energy, Howard Lutnik for Commerce Secretary, World Wrestling Entertainment co-founder Linda McMahon for Education Secretary, Wall Street financier Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary, congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labour Secretary, NFL veteran and motivational speaker Scott Turner for Housing Secretary, and Brooke Rollins for Agriculture Secretary. These nominations must be approved by the Senate before the positions can be confirmed.
Trump has also selected nominees for other important roles outside of the core cabinet which includes the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, as a nominee for leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
Recognizing a Complete View
While Donald Trump has won the election and will serve his second term as president, it is important to recognize the nation’s view as a whole. Trump did not win with a drastic majority. History teacher, Mr. Rob Silva noted the importance in understanding the varying array of votes.
“I believe Democracy in this country is not under threat, however, compromise is,” said Silva. “While the Presidential results certainly reflect local political views, it is important to consider that 47% of the nation’s voters checked the box for K. Harris. That is important, as there is no tyranny of the majority in this country. The concerns of those voters need to be addressed as well. The widening gap between the publicized views of both parties works only to force voters to choose one extreme or the other. This divide makes legislative compromise more difficult than ever.”
Changes in Nevada
Nevada’s ballot questions allow voters to directly shape state laws and policies on key issues through referendums, initiatives, and constitutional amendments. The most talked about questions in Nevada were questions 1, 3, and 6. Question 1 was to remove the higher education board of regents from the state constitution which was voted no on with 54.6% of the votes. Question 3 asked if Nevada should require open primaries and ranked-choice voting in general elections which was voted no on with 53% of votes. Lastly, question 6 was about the constitutional right to abortions in the state of Nevada which was voted yes on with 64.4% of the votes. All these topics will be discussed in greater detail later in this article.
Reelect in Senate
Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen was reelected, beating Republican Sam Brown with 47.9% of the vote, and she will be serving on Nevada’s senate for the next six years. Rosen’s goals include lowering costs for the middle class, reforming Washington, expanding health care access for Nevada families, making housing more affordable, protecting veterans, making the route to civilization more accessible, protecting the climate, and standing up for reproductive rights. Rosen’s focus is to make Nevada better for hard-working families and make the state affordable for regular people.
Justice of the Peace
Locally, this election placed a new Justice of the Peace within Humboldt County. With 57% of the vote, Mike Mavity will be taking this position.
Primaries and Ranked-Choice Voting
In Nevada, one of the greatest political disagreements has been over Question 3. Currently, Nevada has closed primaries. This means that only voters who are registered to a particular party can vote for a presidential candidate, and they must vote for the party they are affiliated with. This excludes non-partisan voters from participating in the primary presidential election. With 54% of Nevada voters choosing no, the primaries will remain the same. Junior, Julissa Diaz, is disappointed at this result and wishes to see a change in our primaries.
“I personally find it absurd that independents have to side with one specific party in order to be able to vote,” said Diaz. “We are all entitled to our own personal beliefs and should all be able to choose our own party; I should be able to choose neutrality.”
In addition to determining primaries, Question 3 also determined whether Nevada would use a ranked-choice voting system. Ranked choice primaries allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference. This system is set up so if a voter’s first pick does not have a chance at winning, their vote for their second choice will count.
“The ranked-choice primary style has created situations where one party is able to control districts by sheer number of ballots cast,” said Silva. “Regardless of party affiliation, that will do more to divide people of differing views and make it more difficult for the views of a smaller block of voters to be heard. For example, 3/4 of the population of Nevada resides in Clark County. How close to rural attitudes and concerns would those voters be? Would candidates chosen simply by number represent the rural people? People are upset that the top two political parties are controlling the political field. In my opinion, ranked-choice voting could make that control even tighter depending on location.”
Currently, the highest percentage of voters are registered nonpartisan, which means that a large number of people cannot vote in the primary. This large percentage also leaves Nevada as a swing state, which made the result of the vote difficult to predict. As votes were counted, Nevada was revealed as a Republican state, donating 6 electoral votes to Trump.
Voter Identification
With an overwhelming 72% of Nevada Voters marking yes, Ballot Question No. 7 was passed, which would make presenting photo identification required when voting in person and providing personal information when voting via mail to identify voters. This question must be passed again in the 2026 election to be amended in the Constitution.
Abortion Rights
Supported by 64% of Nevada voters, abortion rights were supported to be amended as a fundamental right, without interference from state or local governments. This measure will have to be passed again in 2026 to gain full approval. In Nevada, the choice of abortion is legal for any person within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. However, this ballot question means that abortion is one step closer to being protected within the Constitution. Junior, Itzel Reyes is pleased with these results and hopes to see an end to the continuous argument.
“I feel like it should have already been protected under the Constitution,” said Reyes. “It’s been an issue for so long when really it should be obvious. At the same time, I just hope it goes through.”
The Chance to Vote
The opportunity to vote is so important to America, and for certain seniors, this is their first time being able to participate in this important election. Alexandra Villasenor, for one, had her first chance to vote this year.
“I feel happy but at the same time I’m a little anxious,” said Villasenor. “It’s a big decision.”
Another senior, Kelsey Kramer, was excited to participate and put forth her opinion to the nation.
“It was kinda cool,” said Kramer. “I felt all kinds of special because even my dad pointed out ‘This is her first time voting’ and everyone was smiling at me. There was some pressure because like who do I pick, you know? But it was pretty cool having a say.”
While some were exercising their right to vote for the first time, the overall turnout for Nevada does not reflect a strive for democracy.
“I am saddened to see that Nevada had a 63% turnout of eligible voters,” said Silva. “When a candidate receives a simple majority of an election with low voter turnout… is that really a ‘majority’?”
