Women share their hopes for the future during Trump's first 100 days
Ahead of International Women’s Day, CBSN gathered a panel of women to discuss President Donald Trump’s first six weeks in office.
From LGBTQ rights to expanding education for international students, women from all over the world expressed their hopes and dreams for the future of the United States, as well as some fears about what could go wrong.
Click through to see what women are hoping to see change over the next four years under a Trump administration.
A safe haven?
Nayantara Sam (left), 23, is an international student from India currently attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. Upon graduation in May, Sam said she has to think about her “next steps” and whether or not to stay in the U.S. any longer.
“When I came into the United States, America was a safe haven for me, but I find it more difficult under this administration.” Sam told CBS News. “I just really want to continue my life over here, but I find it increasingly more difficult with every policy this administration makes.”
Americans will "obey the law"
LaNell Babbage-Torres says she’s always been a “fan” of Donald Trump and considered his candidacy an “answer to [her] prayers.”
The Atlanta, Georgia, resident, who works as Director of Minorities at the National Diversity Coalition for Trump, said the issues our country is facing right now aren’t women’s issues, they’re American issues.
“I believe the same rights as a black person, as a woman, as a Christian, should be afforded to every citizen of this country,” Babbage-Torres told CBS News. “The aspirations I have for myself would be the same as that of a white man or whatever.”
Babbage-Torres is passionate about a lot of topics, from education to immigration, and she believes Mr. Trump will lead the country in the right direction.
“Heaven has gates. Heaven has an army. And everybody doesn’t get into heaven,” Babbage-Torres said. “You can not just let any and anybody come into your house.”
“You have to obey the law,” she added. “I love President Trump. I can’t say enough good about him. I’m willing to stand on the front line for him and his family.”
A male role model?
As a 28-year-old living in Manhattan, Kat Camagong (center), used a comparison for Mr. Trump most women her age can relate to: a boyfriend.
“I hope he’s not like the boyfriend you’d expect,” Camagong told CBS News. “I hope he’s the boyfriend who surprises you and pulls through in the end -- one that your family approves of.”
Empathy for immigrants
As an immigrant, Liya Safina, 28, says she empathizes with people in the U.S. who may be affected by President Trump’s new travel ban executive order.
“I hope over the next four years he doesn’t get worse for the immigrants,” Safina, who is originally from Belarus, told CBS News. “I am lucky enough to not be afraid to leave the country, but a lot of people are. I hope Trump actually revisits his decision and also empathizes with them.”
Unity with women who feel "violated"
Susan Grace, 24, who works in marketing at a company called xAd in Manhattan, says she has seen more women banding together to defend themselves and oppose President Trump’s policies.
“I feel violated,” Grace told CBS News. “I think, you know, as a young woman, this is the first time there’s every really been someone in power that has really made us all come together like we are these days.”
A shift in rhetoric — and a break from Twitter
EJ Ewald (left), 27, said she wants President Trump to take a break from Twitter and speak directly to the American people in order to bring unity to the country.
“I hope in the next four years, Trump can step away from the divisive rhetoric that he used to get to where he is and actually bring people together and reform not only policies in our country, but reform himself,” Ewald told CBS News.
Her friend Nicole Getsy (right), 26, agreed, saying, “I think right now the way that Trump speaks and his Twitter account and the way a lot of his supporters and opponents are speaking is very divided. And I think we need to figure out a way to bring everyone together.
“We deserve the respect and we deserve the pay"
Bree Lenoir, 26, grew up in a family of Democrats but found herself identifying as a Republican as she grew older.
“I think people don’t realize how much their values really line up,” the Miami resident told CBS News. “I just really think if you write out how you feel about certain issues that go on in the world you’ll really see that, ‘Hey, I’m more like this.’”
Though Lenoir said she was driven mostly by her faith throughout the election, she also focused on on the fight for women’s equal pay.
“That’s a major thing we’re going to have to work very hard on,” Lenoir said. “We deserve the respect and we deserve the pay.”
Empowerment for girls
As a high school student in 2014, Megan Grassel founded the company Yellowberry in hopes of changing the bra industry for girls. Grassel, who was 18 at the time, said she was looking to find bras that fit a young girl’s body, not the body they’re “supposed” to have.
Now, at the age of 21, Grassel says her job is more important than ever, especially given the current political climate.
“We work every day to build products that empower the girls in our community to be able to be confident and empowered in the U.S. and the rest of the world,” Grassel told CBS News.
Travel concerns
Yi Peng Yap (center), 22, is an international student from Malaysia who attends the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. Coming from a Muslim majority country, Yap said she’s concerned about her ability to travel to and from the U.S. She hasn’t seen her family in years, and now, she’s worried that timeline will just continue to grow.
“Right now, Trump’s immigration ban is frightful,” Yap told CBS News. “I’m from a Muslim country and I’m not sure if I’d be able to come back just to further my education. So, definitely take note of that. We have to fight.”
Feeling represented
Trump supporter Jennifer Orlando, 46, is a Facebook administrator for the popular group “Women for Trump.” Within the past two months, Orlando said the group’s membership has increased by about 27,000, to 34,000.
“We saw a huge surge to this group after the Women’s March [in Washington, D.C.],” Orlando told CBS News. “They wanted to be a part of something where they felt represented.”
The path we’ve been on, “we’re not getting anywhere, whether it’s good or bad,” Orlando said. “We’re just stuck in a rut, and that’s not good for anyone.”
"Ready to take action"
Hagar Vander, 31, is from Israel. She has been living in the U.S. for the past 11 years on a green card.
When asked what she hopes to see over the next four years under a Trump presidency, Vander told CBS News, “I don’t really expect much from Trump or his administration, but I really hope that it would make women everywhere angry and ready to take action.”
Support for the LGBTQ community
A member of the audience asked panelists during CBSN’s “Women in the First 100 Days of Trump” forum what President Trump can do for the LGBTQ community.
“As a member of the LBTQ community, I feel that President Trump has repeatedly been verbally abusive in some cases,” the young woman says. “I feel that marginalized communities such as these -- I was wondering what can be done to support these communities and get President Trump to understand these complex issues within these communities.”
Policies that benefit women
Maria Sekar, a 32-year-old from Long Island City, New York, hopes to see President Trump’s future policies lean more equally toward the benefit of women around the country.
“I think that there has been this rising of activism among women, and I hope he recognizes that,” Sekar told CBS News. “His constituents are calling on him and looking for him to stand up.”
As a young woman, Sekar said health care is an issue really she cares about.
“I think the right to control our own reproductive rights and choices is very important,” said Sekar, adding that she has leaned on Planned Parenthood in the past.
Democrats and Republicans should "stand together"
Kathleen Anderson, 18, a college student from Tacoma, Washington, voted in her first election this past November. In her eyes, there was only one choice: Donald Trump.
Since the election, Anderson said she’s seen struggles the country has faced, but she also believes President Trump is having a positive impact.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican,” Anderson told CBS News. “I don’t think the election made us redefine feminism or human rights. I think it made its presence and significance within our communities stronger.”
As a conservative, Anderson hopes the next four years will empower women, and all Americans, to stand up for what they believe in.
“We need to find a way to stand together against the people who will be trying to topple us in the years to come,” she said.