From immigration, birthright citizenship, and tariffs, locals in Atascadero shared their opinions on President Trump's first 100 days in office.
“I don't think there's anything higher than an A++, because he's amazing," Shawna Dawson said. "He's working for us for the first time — I'm 65 years old — for the first time in my life.”
“I dislike pretty much everything," Tori Keen said.
“It's a no-go for me," Gabrielle Alvarado said.
Residents had very different opinions on immigration policies and border control.
"He's doing things I've said for years," Dawson continued. "Close the borders and let's work on us. That's exactly what he's doing. The tariff things are amazing. People have been taking advantage of us for years.”
"My family, they came from Mexico," Alvarado said. "My grandpa was able to work for the railroads here, so he got the citizenship for my mom and everyone else. That's a great opportunity, because back in the day, no one wanted to work. So I think it hurts now that others can't get that same opportunity.”
President Trump has signed more than 145 executive orders thus far, declaring illegal immigration a national emergency and withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. Meanwhile, imposing a 145% tariff on Chinese imports.
Some locals say they're happy with some policies, such as President Trump's health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., banning red food dye. Others are concerned about the potential problems created by certain environmental, border and immigration policies.
"We don't often bridge those gaps to have productive conversations, to find common ground," Keen said of communication between the left and the right.
