The announcement that presidential candidate Donald Trump would be coming to speak at Regent University stirred some debate on the Christian campus — and more than a few heated arguments on social media.
Trump recently caused a small flap when he visited Liberty University and referred to a Bible verse as “two Corinthians” as opposed to “second Corinthians.” However, whether the Republican front-runner will be able to appeal to evangelical conservatives is up for debate. In the past, Trump has flip-flopped on several key issues. On the campaign trail he has changed his stance on federal funding for Planned Parenthood multiple times, and those who remember when Trump was considering running for president back in 2000 will recall he declared himself pro-choice, though he now claims to be pro-life.
While the announcement of Trump’s upcoming speech at Regent was met mostly with dismay, some students said they are looking forward to it.
“Through my observations Trump is an economical genius and a true master of entrepreneurship,” said one student, Jacob Cavanaugh. “I personally hope that he keeps the money in the U.S., and that he funds more to the military and makes us strong again.”
However, not many students were as supportive of Trump’s policies. Olivia Kennedy, a freshman studying criminal justice, is not a fan of Trump, but is still looking forward to a visit from the Republican front-runner.
“I’m personally very excited for Trump to come speak to students. I feel as if it brings us into the importance and reality of the election and the truth in realizing that our votes do matter,” she explained.
Kennedy said she was “shocked” by some of the outbursts from other students, and views Trump’s visit as a learning experience.
“Do I agree with Trumps views? No I do not. Does Trump agree with my Christian ones? It certainly does not seem so, but in the event of hearing someone so widely influential, I would not miss the opportunity to listen to him speak,” she said.
Katie Zehnder, agreed that despite her personal dislike for him, it will ultimately be good for students to hear what he has to say.
“While I do not support Trump at all, I have nothing against him coming to Regent,” she said. “In fact, I think that it might even be a good thing because I think the more people hear from him the less they will like him.”
Trump will visit Regent University on Feb. 24 as a part of the university’s Executive Leadership Series. All presidential candidates have been invited to come throughout the school year. So far, two presidential candidates — Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush — have spoken at the university.
