President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign launched a “Make Campus Great Again” program for the fall, and College Democrats aren’t happy about it.
The program kicked off at the University of Akron on Monday, with more than 50 students from that school and Cleveland State University, Walsh University, and Kent State University gathered at an event to show support for Trump and get trained on registering voters for the 2020 election. The program is managed by Trump Victory, a joint entity between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, working with the Ohio Federation of College Republicans. The two groups teamed up to launch a Trump Victory Leadership Initiative throughout Ohio colleges and universities to train and recruit campus activists for the president’s re-election efforts.
The campaign was not expecting such a large turnout, so additional attendees ended up standing. As student activists gathered, the College Democrats of Ohio released a statement saying the president “is not welcome on our campuses.”
“From siding with for-profit colleges to attacking Title IX protections the Trump Administration is working consistently to attack the interests of college students,” said College Democrats of Ohio President Eva Holtkamp in the statement. “Students know that Trump is bad for our future, which is why youth voter turnout across the country jumped in 2018.”
As for the Trump administration’s support of for-profit colleges, the U.S. Education Department rescinded an Obama-era rule that required for-profit colleges — but not nonprofit colleges — post debt-to-earnings ratios. That rule also didn’t consider other reasons why students might not find well-paying jobs after graduation, the Trump administration said.
And the Trump administration did not attack Title IX protections; rather, it strengthened them by requiring colleges to provide due process for students accused of sexual misconduct and ensuring the definition of sexual harassment and assault was consistent with what the Supreme Court has previously ruled.
“Ohio’s students are organizing to vote Donald Trump out of the White House,” Holtkamp continued.
RNC spokesperson Mandi Merritt responded to the Democrats’ statement, saying it demonstrated the lack of freedom of thought on college campuses.
“The Democrats’ statement proves our point that freedom of thought is being suppressed on campuses across America. The ‘Make Campus Great Again’ program is giving students the support and resources they need to stand up and speak up when Leftists threaten to shut down free think. Trump Victory is proud to support students who value President Trump’s winning agenda and encourage a climate where differences in opinion are encouraged, not suppressed,” Merritt said.
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel added that conservatives on college campuses have been subjected to bullying for their political views.
“Freedom of thought is being suppressed in college classrooms across America. Conservative students, in particular, are being bullied by liberal professors and peers to either submit to the socialist, Leftist ideology or sit quietly,” McDaniel said. “The RNC and our joint ‘Trump Victory’ operation launched ‘Make Campus Great Again’ to give students the support and resources they need to stand up and speak up. When it comes to issues college students care about, like securing a job after graduation, the choice is clear: a booming economy under President Trump or a government takeover of every aspect of their lives under Democrat leadership.”
For example, just this week Boston University stymied an appearance by Daily Wire Editor-In-Chief Ben Shapiro by cutting the potential audience in half and demanding a large security fee.