Soldiers and Silence: USyd students in Trump’s America

['Ned Tulip', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] Honi Soit 2025-09-23 13:58:00

This military presence elicits conflicting feelings from Jen and other USyd exchange students — what once felt dark and unsettling has become part of their weekly routine. For Australian USyd students studying in America, Donald Trump’s authoritarianism is felt in different ways. However, students elsewhere in the US note a different view of Trump’s authoritarianism — one that may not reveal itself in everyday life. Elise, a USyd student studying in New York City, notes that she has felt somewhat distanced from Trump’s displays of power. For Australian USyd students in America, authoritarianism is disorienting: part spectacle, part bureaucracy, part ambient threat.