It’s tough being one of the only Trump supporters at Illinois

It’s the most controversial presidential election season this generation has ever faced. Donald Trump, having ridden on speculation since the 1990’s, has secured his first set of victories in the primaries and Super Tuesday. Though Trump supporters have much to celebrate, they also have much to fear, as the climate on and offline has proven itself increasingly hostile towards Donald Trump and his followers.

A college campus is the paradigm of a liberally-oriented community, and Illinois is no exception to this trend. It seems fit to assume that the Trump-hating has made its way to Champaign-Urbana. Even at the voter registration booths you can hear students shouting: “You don’t want Trump as president, do you?” We spoke to two proud Illini Trump supporters on why they want him to be President, and how people have reacted to their controversial political opinions.

Early voters wait in line at the Federal Room in the basement of the Illini Union (Candid photo – photography was not permitted)

Seeing freshman Jake wearing a Make America Great Again hat in public inspired me to write this article, so when I approached him about his hat at the SDRP, he was reluctant: “I’m not in the mood to be harassed right now”. A response like that made me want to pick his brain more about how he feels, so when we finally sat down to talk about stuff like this, he laid it out. “I only own the hat”.

Jake, who didn’t want to share his last name, told me: “When you’re on a liberal college you get a lot more looks outside. It doesn’t bother me that much.” With that said, Jake isn’t a stranger to harassment on the basis of his hat. “Like that time you approached me in the SDRP – I was just doing homework and didn’t want to be bothered. People have pulled me aside and thoroughly harassed me when I told them I was serious about the hat.

“I’m a kinesiology major. They don’t talk much about politics there. Compare that to my English professor, who openly admitted his liberal bias… You shouldn’t inject your own views in the course – but he knows I’m conservative because I hint at it in my papers.

“I’m excited to see my grade on our last essay.”

Despite Jake’s views, he says he can have polite political discussions with his friends and fraternity brothers. “One brother is a huge Clinton supporter, but we tend to stay away from politics… when we’re sober.”

I brought up the registration booth antagonism of Trump which, as it turns out, was not allowed by the Illinois Student Senate. Jake was unperturbed: “That’s their own view. I love my country, I want a job when I’m out of college. I feel like Trump is the best person to do that.”

“He’s going to bring jobs back to America, he’s going to make us secure, he’s going to build a wall.

“If I were walking down the street, and I saw someone being harassed for supporting Bernie or Clinton or anyone else, I’d intervene. It’s their opinion, and we need to respect it.”

Another Trump supporter on campus – a junior named Brandon, faced a more negative reaction. Living off-campus, Brandon is more prone to vandalism, so it was no surprise when a Trump yard sign put out on his front lawn was missing within a week.

He told me: “Someone had obviously either stolen or destroyed it.”

Unlike Jake, Brandon has worn Trump merchandise to class on a handful of occasions. He says: “I haven’t really experienced heckling.

“A lot of my friends are actually supportive of Trump/open to his ideas. Another friend just can’t stand his personality/ego. Others say he’s crazy.

“I also get a lot of anti-Trump comments on my social media posts.”

Like Jake though, Brandon claims to have friends from across the political spectrum, and maintains his pro-Trump views don’t put a strain on those. “I do have anti-Trump friends, but they definitely don’t berate me. Mostly they complain about how crazy they think Trump is and how they think he’s a racist.

“It’s what the liberal media tries to paint him as.”

Speaking to Brandon made me realise some people can apparently support Trump with – at least in their own eyes – a logical basis. The Junior told me: “His rants can get a little out of hand, but he has good intentions. He has been the only one to tackle illegal immigration head-on. While I’m not sure if what he’s planning is logistically possible, it definitely sends a message. As far as his Muslim ban comments, I was initially not happy with it because he seemed to blame the entire religion. But the terror from ISIS is directly related to radical Islam, and I’m now open-minded to a plan like Trump’s.

“The way he says things is what turns a lot of people off, but that’s also been a large part of his success. He refuses to be politically correct.”

As someone who felt alienated these past few years for even having a positive opinion of a conservative/Republican politician, these words spoke volumes with me and helped me feel less alone in my prior experiences.

In the face of on-campus hostility, Brandon has endured and will continue to advocate for putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office. He said: “I bring up his credentials as a successful businessman. I believe he is one of the only candidates with a logical perspective. If It’s a liberal that I’m debating, there’s really no hope in trying to convince them, so I just try and point out the problems with the liberal candidates. Hillary has a proven track record of being a liar, flip-flops on whatever view will get her votes, and she is money and power hungry. Bernie, while I do believe is a genuine person, is a socialist. His ideas are preposterous and fiscally irresponsible”