UNITED States President Donald Trump on Monday, January 20 entered his second presidency with a renewed mission to “make America great again,” prompting a range of reactions from Filipino American community leaders and members across the country.
Taking the oath of office at the Capitol Rotunda, Trump ushered in his return to power and the “Golden Age of America” by saying, “from this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world.”
Painting a contrast to the outgoing Biden administration, Trump described his ascent back to office as a “mandate” to “give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed their freedom. From this moment on, America’s decline is over.”
In his nearly 40-minute speech, the 78-year-old former businessman laid down his agenda, ranging from mass deportations of “criminal aliens” by declaring “a national emergency at our southern border” to the ambitious space race.
“We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars by launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars,” Trump said.
As one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the U.S., Filipino Americans hold diverse political views and priorities, which were evident in their responses — ranging from both optimism and apprehension — to Trump’s return to the White House.
Rudy Asercion, an active member of the San Francisco Republican Party, declared that “American exceptionalism is back!”
“With a focus on rebuilding our economy, improving foreign policy, achieving energy independence, and securing our southern border, I am confident that Trump’s administration will yield meaningful outcomes for the American people, and I eagerly anticipate the promising days ahead,” he told the Asian Journal.
Cristina Osmeña, a community leader who was previously ran as the Republican nominee for California’s 14th Congressional District, said she “took a sigh of relief” after Biden left office.
“In the last four years, the world has seen two war fronts open up and an American ally fallen to terrorists. The United States flirted with an experiment in modern monetary theory, creating a surge in inflation no one could ignore. And our culture has become paralyzed by the epidemic of treating falsehoods as truths. That is all over. Common sense is making a comeback,” she wrote in an e-mail.
Marc Ang, a Southern California-based conservative community organizer and entrepreneur, likewise expressed eagerness and support for Trump’s second term, sharing that the president is more equipped with the inner workings of the government to push his agenda and follow the “smartest solution” on issues like immigration.
“All the fear that’s coming from the left is overblown. Just watch, he’s going to do what’s best for the people,” Ang told the Asian Journal, echoing Trump’s premise to “bring back competence and common sense. That’s the feeling that most Americans have, regardless of ideology.”
“I’m willing to put my ideologies aside just to see practical results come in that help more people than hurt more people,” he said, adding that the 2024 election outcome demonstrated that “a lot of minorities were affected by the downturn of the economy.”
“I have seen an evolution in many of my Filipino American community partners, as well as my Hispanic American community partners, who were formerly voting against [Trump] and came around and expanded that coalition for him this time around because it was about bottomline issues.”
Ang, who is also a small business owner, praised Trump’s executive order pausing the law banning popular social media platform TikTok for 75 days. Ang asserted that a significant population of the 170 million Americans on TikTok are small business owners, including many Fil-Am-owned ventures ranging from lifestyle brands to food vendors, that use the platform to boost their businesses.
“[Trump] understood the impact of that and acted accordingly, while Congress — Republicans and Democrats — were willing to let that go dark and including former President Biden so that was one of the exciting things for me,” Ang said.
In his inauguration speech, Trump stated that “the entire nation is rapidly unifying behind our agenda with dramatic increases in support from virtually every element of our society,” including Asian Americans.
On January 15, a new AAPI Data/AP-NORC survey found that 31% of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adults believe the country is heading in the right direction.
Within the AAPI community, AAPI Data noted Trump had greater support among certain demographics, including Filipinos, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, men, and those aged 60 and older.
Filipino Americans had the highest levels of Trump favorability among Asian Americans, with 47% saying they were “very or somewhat favorable” of Trump, versus 45% who said “very/somewhat unfavorable.” Some issues that Fil-Ams surveyed weighed in on included deportation of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., with 43% of Fil-Ams saying they strongly/somewhat favor the action.
Hon. Melissa Ramoso, California Democratic Party State Chair Emerita for AAPI and Filipino American Caucuses, expressed deep concern about Trump’s immediate actions on his first day in office. Trump signed executive orders reversing several policies from the Biden administration, including measures addressing climate change, supporting local economies, and advocating for inclusivity.
“It was no surprise that President Trump started to carry out Executive Orders on day one to reverse all the hard work that President Biden’s Administration did to protect families, address climate change, advocate for service workers, assist local economies, advance science and health policies, be inclusive of LGBTQ rights, and so much more,” Ramoso told the Asian Journal.
She criticized Trump’s decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Accords, saying these moves as a signal that such global issues are no longer a priority for the U.S. Ramoso lamented the divisiveness that she believes will continue during Trump’s second term.
“It was evident a sense of trust was lost after the election, and we have to do everything in our power to gain that trust back from Americans,” she concluded, emphasizing the need for Democrats to reassess and reengage with the American people.
In Las Vegas, civic leader Gloria Caoile focused on the importance of resilience and optimism.
“We need to continue to live and character our principles. Good governance requires positive energy and pragmatism, and so we look forward to the next four years with hope and optimism,” Caoile said.
Neil Ferrer, the Philippine Consul General in San Francisco, struck a more diplomatic tone, focusing on the peaceful transfer of power as a hallmark of American democracy. While acknowledging potential impacts on Filipino nationals, he reaffirmed the Consulate’s commitment to supporting the community.
“In his inaugural address, President Trump outlined his priorities that may impact Filipino citizens in the United States. On changes in U.S. immigration policy, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco is committed to extending appropriate assistance to Filipino nationals across its jurisdiction regardless of immigration status, while respecting U.S. laws as well as individual privacy,” Ferrer stated.
He also expressed hope for strengthened ties between the Philippines and the United States, noting the importance of recent diplomatic engagements, including Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez’s meeting with President Trump and a call between Philippine Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Washington issued an advisory that “Filipinos in the United States have rights, regardless of their immigration status,” including the right to speak to an attorney before answering any questions from immigration or law enforcement. The Embassy and Consulates General throughout the country have made their 24/7 hotlines available to ensure that “Filipinos are informed, safe and supported” in the event they need help.
There are currently over 300,000 undocumented Filipinos living in the United States. The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said it would be ready to assist should they be deported back to their home country.
During Trump’s first term in the White House, over 3,500 Filipinos were deported between 2017 to 2020, according to the DMW, with the highest being recorded in 2018 with 503.
