UNC College Republicans Host Former Trump Campaign Manager, Demonstrators Walk Out

UNC’s chapter of College Republicans hosted former Trump presidential campaign manager and political strategist Corey Lewandowski for a keynote speech on Wednesday.

Sophomore Hunter West sat in the audience at the student union auditorium after she learned of the event from Facebook. She said she was excited to see someone from a more conservative mindset be invited to speak on campus.

“For me, I was very intrigued by the idea of there being Republican representation through speakers here at UNC,” West said, “especially with the political climate here.”

Sophomore Olivia Price agreed with West, saying one reason she attended the event was to hear Lewandowski’s stances on policies and the country’s current status with a conservative president. She said with the university’s campus community having predominantly liberal views and values, it’s challenging to discuss issues happening in the U.S. without the conversation becoming strictly partisan.

“Being in a very liberal environment all the time,” Price said, “I think people believe if you support President Trump or identify as Republican, it’s like intellectual suicide. [They believe] you can’t be intellectual and conservative, that they can’t coexist.”

The UNC College Republicans did not allow recordings of Lewandowski’s speech, but the political strategist spoke sparingly about President Trump’s specific policies. He largely discussed the upcoming 2020 election, his disagreements with the impeachment hearings against the president and how the U.S. economy has improved since Trump’s election in 2016.

West said she thought Lewandowski’s choice to avoid the more politically-charged policies of Trump was interesting, but she appreciated his choice to discuss the country’s economic outlook.

“On campus,” she said, “a lot of topics revolve around, ‘what has Trump doing about the LGBTQ community, what is he doing about immigration?’ And we fail to recognize the success he has had in the economy.”

A group of predominantly black student demonstrators were part of the initial audience when Lewandowski came on stage. About five minutes into his speech, they stood up together with their right fists raised and silently walked out.

West said she respected their efforts because they demonstrated their views without being disrespectful.

“They did represent themselves well in way that wasn’t as distracting in comparison to past demonstrations and speakers,” said West. “I respect it because it wasn’t rude, it was quick, and we went back to the talk.”

President of the Black Student Movement at UNC Chris Suggs tweeted following the event, saying the demonstrators were part of his organization and that “hate, racism and bigotry, nor those who enable it, have no place on [UNC’s] campus.”

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