Two students started the Twitter account @OUforTrump16 earlier in March to help increase support for the candidate in Athens.
Two Ohio University students are hoping to mobilize support for presidential candidate Donald Trump through a recently-created Twitter account.
Jordan Hummel and Jacob Robinett started the Twitter account @OUforTrump16 earlier in March to help increase support for the candidate in Athens.
The two students said that after noticing the lack of groups on OU’s campus dedicating themselves to aiding the Trump campaign, they wanted to start gathering support.
Both students said raising support at OU has been difficult because the campus is relatively liberal and much of the student support is going toward Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).
The Twitter account has been met with a lot of negativity, Robinett, a freshman studying international business, said.
“We’ve been called racists and everyone thinks we’re just discriminating, but that’s not the case,” Robinett said.
Hummel, a freshman studying pre-nursing, added that some people have tweeted insults at the account or blocked it.
The two blame the negative reputation Trump has on certain media organizations. They said news outlets often misrepresent what Trump says.
Other OU students supporting Trump have also received backlash recently.
In early March, Katie Moore, a sophomore studying communication studies, said she had Trump stickers torn down from the door of her dorm room five times in a two-week period, according to a previous Post report.
Similar instances of anti-Trump acts have also been seen at Emory University in Atlanta where "Trump 2016" graffiti on the side of an academic building caused students to protest this week, according to the Washington Post.
Some OU students dislike the idea of Trump gaining support on campus.
“I don’t want Trump to win and I don’t think people should vote for him,” Francisco Cintron, a sophomore studying history, said.
Hummel and Robinett hope to engage students in debate and get their views across.
"People are like 'Is this a joke?' and we just want people to take us seriously and talk with us," Hummel said.
Help us raise support for Donald Trump at OU! Also, Feel free to email us with questions about why we support Trump and you should too! — Ohio Univ. for Trump (@OUforTrump16) March 18, 2016
Though their efforts have been focused on the Twitter account, the two said they eventually want to start a group on campus. They feel encouraged by the fact that a majority of Athens County voted for Trump in the primary election and said they will look into reaching out to community members.
Hummel and Robinett said they support Trump because they believe he can benefit America greatly.
“No one else, none of the other candidates, can do what he will for this country,” Robinett said.
While some students disagree with the message Trump represents, many believe in supporters' rights to represent their political beliefs.
“Personally, I don’t like Trump. ... I don’t really like any of the candidates," Haley Sponaugle, a freshman studying marketing, said. "If they want to start a group though, that’s fine for them. I am surprised because OU is like more liberal though."
However, some students are not surprised that even though OU is relatively liberal, a Trump group is present.
"I think people love him because he is so out there and people want to see something different. I’m not surprised, you know, there are groups for everything, so I’d expect a group for this," Allyson Woellert, an undecided freshman, said.
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Some political student groups that support other candidates are also accepting of the group's formation.
“Even though I deeply disagree with many of the things Donald Trump says, I have no issue with the group," Stu Adams, president of Bobcats for Bernie, said. "Above anything else, I’m glad people are getting involved in the political process and I wish them the best."
@BrookEndale
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