NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?
Directions: Watch these two short videos and answer the questions below: President Donald Trump being sworn into office (above) or Inside Trump's second inauguration with News Hour's Lisa Desjardins.
Optional:
- Read NPR's 4 takeaways from Trump's second inaugural address. You may wish to divide the class up into groups and have each group summarize their section.
- If time allows, watch this in-depth video Trump returns to office and kickstarts ambitious and controversial agenda (17 mins).
SUMMARY
Donald Trump has returned to office as the 47th president of the United States. His second term kickstarts an ambitious, and controversial, agenda that will bring mass deportations, aggressive tariffs on imports from competitors and allies alike, and a promise of 'retribution' against political foes that led to last-minute pardons from outgoing President Biden.
From C-SPAN:
President Trump said he wants his legacy to be that of a “peacemaker and unifier” as he spoke about American exceptionalism in his inaugural address Monday. “Above all, my message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor and the vitality of history’s greatest civilization. So, as we liberate our nation, we will lead it to new heights of victory and success. We will not be deterred,” he said in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The president said he will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” return the name of Alaska’s Denali mountain to “Mount McKinley,” and retake the Panama Canal. “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars,” he said.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
KEY TERMS
executive order — a documented used by the U.S. president that directly manages how the federal government is run; may be legally-binding or a proclamation
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- When was President Donald Trump sworn into office for the second time?
- Where was Trump sworn in?
- What was the example of an executive order that Lisa Desjardins mentioned in the video?
- Who were some of the people present at the swearing in ceremony?
- How soon did Trump say he wanted to sign a number of executive orders?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
- Do you think Trump's speech sounded like it was uniting America or dividing it? (For a quick recap, see the NPR article above.) Explain.
- What do you think the term "American exceptionalism" means? (First, brainstorm what you think the word "exceptional" means.) Why do you think Trump, other leaders in U.S. history and political scientists (people who study politics) have used the term American exceptionalism? Do you agree with the framing of this term? Why or why not?
(Further research: Read this articleto see the long history and changing definition of the term American exceptionalism.)
Media literacy: YouTube Shorts are very brief videos. If you had one more point to add to either of the YouTube Shorts above, what would it be and why?
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
What is an executive order? President Trump promised a record number of executive orders on his first day in office. As of Monday, he has already signed several executive orders and issued several pardons.
For a closer look at the power of these orders and their limits, watch and discuss the following story with a classmate, family member, teacher or neighbor:
Link: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-power-of-presidential-executive-orders-and-their-limits
President Trump has signed pardons for defendants charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. That's as Joe Biden, in one of his final acts as president, issued preemptive pardons to Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired General Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated Jan. 6.
Watch the following story with a classmate, family member, teacher or neighbor and discuss whether or not. you agree with Biden's decision.
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