Students for Trump

Students For Trump
Chairman Ryan Fournier (NC)
Headquarters Raleigh, NC
Mother party Republican Party
Website www.studentsfortrump.net

Students for Trump (S4T) is an American non-profit political organization whose stated mission is to "see that Donald Trump is elected as the next President of the United States and that the Republican Party is placed back into power in Washington." The group was founded in 2015 by Ryan Fournier and John Lambert, students at Campbell University in North Carolina, United States.[1]

The organization recruits Campus Ambassadors at college and high school campuses across the country, and encourages chapters to participate in on-campus advocacy, host events, and persuade students to vote for Donald Trump. Currently, the organization reports that it has over 5,000 volunteers, 280 chapters, and over 13,000 vote pledges.

History

The organization was founded in 2015 by Fournier and Lambert, students at Campbell University in North Carolina, United States.[1]

In 2016, the organization switched from a traditional campaign model with Regional, State, and Chapter coordinators, to a model with Campus Ambassadors that perform roles similar to that of a campaign field intern.

Organizational structure

The following people comprise the organization's national leadership team:

  • Ryan Fournier (National Chairman)
  • Sarah Hagmayer (Public Relations Coordinator)[2]

In addition to the national team, the group has Campus Ambassadors on 280 college campuses across the country as of July 20, 2016.

Projects

The Chalkening

In March and April 2016, college students at universities across the United States used chalk to write slogans in support of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. The event was publicized on Twitter by Dan Scavino and the Students for Trump official account.[3]

The event, and ensuing student reaction, led to DePaul University to ban the use of chalk on campus property.[4]

"Trump Wall" events

On May 9, 2016, a group of students at the University of Washington constructed an 8'x10' "Trump Wall" out of plywood and lumber in the center of the Red Square courtyard. The event, led by UW College Republicans president Jessie Gamble, UW Students for Trump president Chevy Swanson, and S4T senior advisor James Allsup, lasted for an approximately an hour and a half, and was met with ten Trump supporters and over 100 protestors.[5]

The wall was painted with a brick design, with "Trump Wall" written in gold paint, and "Blues Lives Matter" and "Make America Great Again" written in blue. At one point, a student attempted to scale the wall. Shortly after this, the organizers were asked by the University Police to take the wall down, which they did.[6]

Portland State University Students for Trump, a group unaffiliated with the S4T national organization, hosted a similar event on June 10, 2016.[7] The wall was smaller at this event, and beforehand organizers announced on Facebook that "Mexico and Black Lives Matter are going to need help paying for the wall so we'll be holding a collection."[8]

Controversy

In April 2016, a Students for Trump Florida chapter placed a "Make America Great Again" ball cap on a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. just days after the anniversary of his death. This caused a wide array of social media attacks towards the organization.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Glum, Julia (December 1, 2015). "Students For Trump: Meet The Millennials Helping The Donald Nab The Youth Vote". International Business Times. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  2. ↑ Dewey, Caitlin; Ohlheiser, Abby (July 18, 2016). "A revealing look into Donald Trump's unofficial Internet campaign". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  3. ↑ Tesfaye, Sophia (April 11, 2016). "Trump's Call for College Supporters to Express Themselves With Chalk Leaves Campuses Full of Racist Messages". AlterNet. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  4. ↑ Riddell, Kelly (April 15, 2016). "DePaul U. bans use of chalk on sidewalks after pro-Trump messages offend". The Washington Times. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ "The UW Trump Movement Is a Perfect Microcosm of the Donald's Ridiculous Campaign". Seattle Weekly. May 20, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  6. ↑ Long, Katherine (May 9, 2016). "College students erect 'Trump wall' at University of Washington". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  7. ↑ "PSU 'Students for Donald Trump' group builds wall at rally". KATU. June 10, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  8. ↑ Gupta, Arun (June 17, 2016). "Meet the shock troops of Trump's America". The Raw Story. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  9. ↑ Silverstein, Jason (April 11, 2016). "'Students for Trump' group posts photo of Martin Luther King statue wearing 'Make America Great Again' hat on University of South Florida campus". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
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