Teenagers’ Takes on Impeachment

It is not uncommon for teenagers to be oblivious of the political aspects of our country. Recently, the impeachment of 45th president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, has been covered on all forms of media in some shape or form. So, how are today’s teenagers staying informed? What about the impeachment are they understanding from social media? 

My first interview was with a twelfth-grade girl that associated with the Republican party, but not Trump. “No, I don’t know what Impeachment means, well,  kinda. I know he would not be president anymore, but that is all I know, but I don’t know how it would happen. I don’t know what they are charging him with or what it would do to Trump if he isn’t removed [from office].” 

When asked about where she gets her news information from, and her take on teenagers understanding the impeachment, she responded, “From being on snapchat – it’s called Stay Tuned, Instagram, and News 12 or Fox News. I don’t think teenagers know that much or anything at all because nobody really watches the news anymore or really care what is going on.”

My second interview was with another twelfth-grade girl that associates with the Democratic party. When asked the same questions about impeachment, she responded, “Yes, I know the impeachment doesn’t mean that Trump is officially out of office, I’m aware that he’s in trouble. What I can tell you [about the impeachment]  is that Trump has been in trouble with the Democrats leaving them wanting to impeach trump – it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s out of office – it’s like a warning to him. I know he was charged with obstruction of congress and abuse of power. A question I have about the impeachment is if he will be taken out of office- only time will tell.”

When asked about news information and other teenagers understanding what is going on, she responded, “I get my information from my journalism teacher and social media, like Twitter. I feel like a lot of teenagers thought he was out of office and that he is no longer our president, but it’s not like that at all – I think they just got the wrong idea and need to do more research on it.”

In another interview, I asked a tenth-grade girl who associates herself with the Democratic party, she answered, “I don’t really know [what impeachment is], but it means that the president is in the office, but not ‘in’ the office. I know Trump got impeached, but we don’t know if he’s still going to be president, it still has to go to trial, and we should be finding out soon. I don’t know what they’re charging him with. I don’t have any questions because it doesn’t affect my everyday life so I don’t really care – I should care, but I don’t.”

When asked about the news and what she thinks other teenagers know, she answered,  “I get my news from my friends or TikTok. I learn a lot from TikTok, not gonna lie. I think people think they understand [what is going on with the impeachment], but people in my age range really know what is going on besides a handful of people.”

In my final interview, I asked a nineteen-year-old boy who associates with the Republican party, he responded, “Yes, I do know about the impeachment. I’m pretty sure that he was impeached by the House and still has to go through the Senate which means he is still the president and in office. I know he was charged with ‘abuse of power’. I don’t really know what this will do to Trump. I feel like if he would be removed, he would be pardoned by Pence.”

Regarding the news and what he thinks other teenagers know, he answered, “I mostly get news from social media. I try to stay away from news networks because they are very negative with any situation, and also podcasts. I feel like not a lot of teenagers today actually know government. They usually only see one side of it, doesn’t matter which, and go with it. To know about the government you need to understand all parties and put yourself in their shoes and try to understand why they believe that. I don’t have any questions, but I feel like he’s not gonna actually get removed, but that’s just me though.”

How each individual processes the information they have read or heard is completely unique to each person’s beliefs and interests. Despite their different views, it is important to stay informed on what is going on in the world around you. The issue of ignorance is important to fix especially since many high school students are approaching the age to vote. Without knowledge of what is going on in our government, they won’t be able to make a choice with good judgement. A quick fix could be to download a news app or follow news companies on twitter. Reading a quick caption or notification can provide you with more information than not to read anything at all. It is important to be educated on politics to understand what you want to support and who you want to represent you in the future.