As much as he is criticized by the country, the media and myself, I do see one very valuable and important effect from President Trump’s term so far.

That would be that I think younger people are taking more of an interest in politics because of him.

Disclaimer: I am not saying that the president has not done any good things in office because if I did, that would be a lie.

But generally, his actions and words are unwelcomed by most, myself included. These actions of his are starting to get more people involved in politics, in my personal opinion.When President Obama was in office, a lot of people my age (so teenagers when Obama was still in charge), were in favor of him but would not do more than go vote for him again when it came to political involvement.

But now that President Trump’s Twitter rants and rally cries are being circulated at high rates, I think young adults now care more.

It is the same effect Bernie Sanders and Beto O’Rourke have had: they are polarizing and have the attention of the younger demographics. In their cases, they said things us young folk wanted to hear, so we were compelled to get them in office.

With Trump, we are hearing the things we do not want to hear, so we are trying to get others in office to make sure he stops and cannot do it in the future.

And considering that Trump has offended such a wide variety of demographics, and on such a consistent basis, I think young people are more compelled than ever to start having their impact in politics felt.

Unfortunately for Sanders and O’Rourke, they did not win their races, but the fact that so many people were pissed that O’Rourke lost, I think it shows that people are starting to care more.

To paint a picture, people on my Twitter feed — almost all of which are from Illinois, keep in mind — are mad that O’Rourke lost his race, and he’s 12-plus hours away in Texas. With the national landscape in mind, this same feeling applies.

People who are not affected by Trump’s travel bans or some things he says are still outraged that he is saying or doing these things.

In some cases, they may show their displeasure because it is the right thing to do, or they feel like they should say it is wrong like everyone else, but, again, more people, from what I have seen, are voicing their displeasure.

The environment created by Trump is having a positive effect on the younger demographics. I think younger people are starting to finally get upset with the fact that they have not been heard in politics, and that the president is running around saying mean things.

Hopefully this trend continues, and more and more younger people get involved because it is a good and powerful thing. We should exercise our voting rights when it comes to politics.

But if you are not out there voting to try and make a difference, or rallying or campaigning or something, do not complain when something does not go your way. You had your chance, and now you have to wait another couple of years.

Dillan Schorfheide is a junior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].