Just more than a week after being assaulted by a leftist thug at the University of California, Berkeley, Leadership Institute field representative and Turning Point USA activist Hayden Williams stood by President Trump as he announced his intent to sign an executive order protecting freedom of speech on college campuses. The announcement was met with a roar and a standing ovation from the massive crowd gathered for the annual 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference.
It was in front of this crowd where Hayden said, “Mr. President, if you keep defending us, we’ll keep defending you!” Hayden is right, and the time for conservatives on campus to defend Trump is now.
I’ve been doing youth engagement for the Republican Party and President Trump since 2017. My team is operating in more than half of the states that make up this great nation, partners with multiple student organizations, and engages with thousands of conservative students on and off college campuses. While the recent confrontation at Berkeley is the latest example of conservative voices being attacked and silenced on campus, this is no isolated incident. Fortunately for us, we have an advocate in Trump — and he will not allow students’ voices to be silenced.
In just two years, Trump has already proven himself to be a president for young people everywhere. Whether it’s bringing youth unemployment to a 52-year low, promoting entrepreneurship, relieving the burden of student loans, or now protecting the First Amendment rights of students on campus, just to name a few accomplishments, Trump has made the next generation of Americans a top priority. We’ve come too far to let obstructionist Democrats drag us backwards in the name of the “resistance.”
Engaging voters on campus has never been more important. With record turnout among young voters in 2018, conservatives must be united in identifying, engaging, and registering voters on campus. We cannot allow the likes of Tom Steyer and NextGen to buy student voters, nor can we allow leftist professors or administrators to go unchallenged in their efforts to indoctrinate young minds with the dangerous socialist ideology.
I took this job because, like many other young conservative activists, I care about what Trump has done for me, for my family and friends, and for young people across the country. I, like Hayden and many other courageous conservatives on college campuses, will defend the president who is defending us. There is no time like the present to defend your right to freedom of speech and fight for a better future.
While we are just a few months into 2019, the 2020 race has officially begun and the time to get involved is now. Every student has the power to be an advocate for Trump on campus, the same way he advocates for you. The Trump Victory team has all the tools you’ll need to be successful. Whether you want to host a campus activist training, register voters, or just want to “Keep America Great,” everyone has a role to play on campus. Find yours, and get involved now.
The president has our backs. Let’s have his and win again in 2020.
Mitch Freckleton (@mfreckletonGOP) is the Trump victory director of youth engagement for the Republican National Committee.
