“With all that DOGE is finding, such as sending millions to other countries, I know that 20 years from now the USA will see all that is being done is for a reason,” said Keyport Mayor Rose Areano. “Keep America’s finances in America. We are the taxpayers, and the waste of money for many, many, many years in horrible.”

While Areano expresses tremendous support thus far for President Donald Trump’s second term in office, not everyone views the presidency in the same light. On April 5, demonstrations against the president and his policies drew activists to protests across the country, including one in Red Bank.

Brookdale students are polarized about the presidency as well.

“In my opinion, he’s a terrible person, so I don’t think the media is being unfair when they s*&^ on him. He deserves it,” said Bridget Lynch, a 19-year-old Highlands resident and early childhood education major.

“I think overall, the media has been unfair to Trump. Social media as a whole has been terrible when it comes to politics. Individuals will see one social media post and think it’s the complete truth without doing any research,” said Anthony Capuano, an 18-year-old criminal justice major from Keyport. “Trump’s term only started a couple of months ago, and people are already bashing him for things he is doing when they are not giving him time.”

“President Trump was handed an absolute mess from top to bottom. I believe his no-nonsense approach is exactly what our country needs to get back on track,” said Union Beach Mayor Charles Coccuza.

Alan Gubitosi, mayor of Bradley Beach, is a Democrat who said he believes Democratic leaders need a new vision.  “In my opinion, the Democratic Party candidates were not positioned well to appeal to mainstream America,” he said of Trump’s election.

Clearly, the political climate is highly engaged and highly divided in New Jersey as it is across the country.