Students for Trump attracted a spectrum of ideas and emotions at its first promotional event of the election season.
WSU students should vote for Donald Trump because he is going to bring jobs “back to America” and to college graduates, said James Allsup, senior adviser for Students for Trump and president of the College Republicans of WSU.
“He is going to benefit everyone,” Allsup said.
At this point nobody is ready to be president, but Trump is the most ready, said Students for Trump member Nate Hansberry.
“His strong business record brings something to the table others don’t,” Hansberry said.
Trump can move and speak freely because he does not need the support of lobbyists, Hansberry said. Hansberry said he also respects democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for that reason.
“I admire Sanders for his honesty,” Allsup said.
Trump and Sanders are both exposing a divide in their parties between the establishment and the new thinkers, Allsup said.
Trump has sparked criticism from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and other world leaders. However, Allsup predicts the international community will support the U.S. with Trump as president.
“We are spending too much money protecting foreign countries,” Allsup said. Once the U.S. spends less money protecting countries like the U.K. and South Korea they will realize how much they need American support, he said.
“Trump represents strong foreign policy,” Hansberry said. “We will have international support.”
Students debated Trump’s stances on immigration, accusing him and Students for Trump of being racist.
“Trump’s stereotyping is not always wrong,” Allsup said. “He is stereotyping based on the likelihood to commit terrorist acts.”
Hansberry believes Trump’s plan for a border wall is good for security and symbolizes the importance of preventing illegal immigration.
“[Trump] says he wants to build a big, beautiful wall but he also wants to build a big, beautiful door through it to streamline and encourage legal immigration,” Hansberry said.
Trump’s comments on immigrants are prejudiced, said Maya Manus, a self-described anti-Trump student.
“I feel like Trump shows how far America has come but also shows how far America has to come,” Manus said.
Conversations regarding Trump’s comments on immigrants and immigration grew very emotional, some students accusing Allsup and Hansberry of being Nazis.
All-Campus ASWSU Senator Matthew Morrow moderated the conversation amid outrage of students on both sides of the aisle.
“We really want to make sure all students concerns are addressed,” Morrow said as students continually interrupted each other.
We are trying to coordinate an event where college democrats and republicans can debate in a manner unlike what is happening here, said Josh Maasberg, vice president of Young Democrats of WSU.
“This kind of uncontrolled and inflammatory political discourse is not supported by YDWSU, we encourage civil, mannered, and informed political discussion and dialogue,” Maasberg said in a statement on the Young Democrats’ Facebook page.
