Commenting on Trump’s tariffs, Marvin Vita, a York Psychology major from Queens Village says Honda might be okay because the company gets its electric car batteries from the U.S. He works as a salesman at Hillside Honda. Photo by Brian Fernandes
Reported by Brian Fernandes, Lakeisha Semple, Yahir Rodriguez, Ashirah Newton and York’s Business and Healthcare News class. Edited by Ana Disla & Kayleen Lopez
Student reporters set out to talk to the York College community, asking about the potential impacts of Trump’s tariffs and his policies overall.
As reported by The New York Times, there is a growing concern that Trump’s policies may increase global unease, leading to a significant drop in stocks worldwide and causing a global trade war.
- Marvin Vita, a recent transfer to CUNY York College who lives in Queens Village, is a psychology major and a salesman at Honda. He says that Honda won’t be significantly affected by recent changes. “Honda used to source their batteries from Japan, but now they are outsourcing to North Carolina,” he explained.
- Nya McDowell, a Project Serve coordinator, who lives in Ozone Park, Queens, said that the tariff has impacted her ability to shop at the online clothing retail company Shein, based in China. “I can’t shop there anymore because I can’t afford it.”
- Marcel Cole, an English major and journalism minor, mentioned that “He [Trump] needs to be more sympathetic with other countries. He has a dictator mentality, and it’s going to drag this country down.”
- For more general political comments we talked with Althea Roberts from York’s SEEK (Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge) Program says she is concerned. “I feel when people in higher power call all the shots, we will feel the brunt of this and be caught in the crossfire.”
- We also talked to George Nicholson, Director of CUNY Edge, a department that gets funding from New York City’s Human Resources Administration known as HRA. He says that he is dealing with uncertainty between colleagues and other colleges. At the same time, he mentioned, “Keep your ears to the streets, pay attention to what’s going on a day-to-day basis, prepare yourself. ” He watches Democracy Now, and is a Democrat on paper, “I am a black man in America. I will vote for any candidate who offers more benefits, especially in the social services department.”
- Kiki Rosado, a music major at CUNY York College is from Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She says she is concerned about the rising cost of living in New York City. “The prices of everything are climbing, making it increasingly difficult to cover even the basics, like transportation. Just the other day, I found myself unable to afford a simple bottle of water. It’s becoming a struggle for many to secure jobs that provide enough to support themselves in such an expensive city.”
FOR MORE ABOUT TRUMP’S POLICIES AND THE YORK COMMUNITY – COME TO THIS YORK EVENT: APRIL 24TH 12 NOON TO 2PM.
TRUMP’S FIRST HUNDRED DAYS AND THE IMPACT ON QUEENS.
MORE INFO:
https://www.york.cuny.edu/health-human-performance/the-first-100-days
