After Donald Trump was elected president on Nov. 8, Temple students gathered to protest on Main Campus and across Philadelphia.
Protesters stood in solidarity with minorities, LGBTQ people, women and other groups who feel disenfranchised by the President-elect’s campaign rhetoric.
But not all students are against Trump’s election.
“I’m so proud to say that my first-ever vote in an election went to Donald J. Trump,” said Alexis Zimmerman, a freshman advertising major. “It was a close, shocking race but I knew the silent majority would pull through. I’m really looking forward to what Trump’s next four years entail.”
Zimmerman said she believes if the country accepts the results of the election and gives Trump “a chance, his presidency can be a great one.”
“We really aren’t all bad people, I swear,” she said.
Teodora Campbell, a senior kinesiology major, said people would be safer with Trump as president instead of Clinton.
“Hillary Clinton has put our national security at such a high risk, specifically with unsecure servers in foreign nations, speaking about confidential things that cannot be put out in the open,” Campbell said. “Donald Trump will run the American economy like a business because he is a businessman, and that is certainly not a bad thing. We are in so much debt and he knows how to make money.”
Jose R. Mangual, a sophomore theater major, organized a protest on Friday from the Bell Tower to City Hall. He called it the “I Promise March,” which focused protesters on spreading the message that they would support minorities.
“We want people to be aware that we are all humans and equal and that our goals today to peacefully protest do make sense and deserve to be respected,” he said. “To lead a peaceful protest in person is different than protesting on social media, because in person we can’t be ignored and blocked. They see what we are standing for and we stand together to have our voices heard.”
“I don’t think we should create problems without knowing exactly what Donald Trump has in plan,” said Katie Brinkman, a junior theater major. “I think it‘s important to peacefully protest, which is exactly what we are doing today. There is no reason for violent protesting. We need to spread love and not hate and work with the [President-elect] and be open to him because he is deserving of that. We need to stand for love and stand together.”
“It was a peaceful crowd and they were chanting and upset obviously, but there’s been no disruption yet,” said Charlie Leone, the executive director of Campus Safety Services about the protest of more than 2,000 people on Wednesday night. “It was peaceful, so there was no cause for alarm. Protests are good, and if they stay peaceful, it’s better.”
Kate Crilly and Julie Christie can be reached at news@temple-news.com or on Twitter @TheTempleNews.
Brianna Cicero contributed reporting.
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