On Monday, Aug. 24, at 3:30 pm, Eric Branstad, Senior Advisor for Iowa for President Trump’s 2020 campaign, visited UNI to host a “Make Campus Great Again” event as a part of a kick-off to the Republican National Convention. 

The informal event was held outside Maucker Union, as an ice cream social where students could register to vote, talk with Branstad and enjoy some treats. 

After working in politics over the last 20 years and serving on President Trump’s 2016 campaign, Branstad said he was ready to come back and be a part of the election trail in Iowa.

“I got the call to come on board as senior advisor for the 2020 campaign, and no one loves this president more than I do,” he said. 

Branstad said he has been traveling the state for months hosting similar events. In the last week, the team visited Iowa State University and the University of Iowa and was heading to an event at Morningside College in Sioux City on Friday, Aug. 27. 

“It’s a chance to get out and meet new people and try to be as active as we can, during the COVID environment,” he said.

Due to classes and campus not being normal this semester, Branstad said he sees more online support for Trump from college-aged students.

“I would say because of the indoctrinated, left-leaning, you know, universities, it is more difficult than I have seen in 2016, in 2020,” he said.  “Certainly the folks that I talk to or reach out to us are afraid to show their Trump pride for how they are treated by their teachers and by the universities, and the people pushing a message down on them.”

Branstad said that those who do reach out to the campaign show a lot of pride, and they have had good turnouts so far at campus events as well as others throughout the state of Iowa. 

“It’s also very important to show that we are here and who we are and the pride we have,” he said.

Two of the handful of students that attended Monday’s event were Gabriel and Sam. The two, who asked to be identified only by first name, said they stopped by for some ice cream and to show their support for President Trump. 

“We don’t get to see a whole lot of tables like this. It’s nice to see somebody doing what we like too,” Sam said. 

Gabriel said that he will be voting for President Trump because he shares the president’s beliefs. 

“It goes hand in hand with my faith. That’s just what I believe in and a lot of the ideas he stands for,” he said. 

Sam agreed, stating that he also shares the same beliefs, especially on the issue of abortion. 

“I would have to say that the number one issue in politics, that does go with my faith, is abortion,” he said. “So, once that gets fixed, I will look a lot more in-depth into some of the other issues but that’s the first one that I want fixed, and he says that he’s going to do that.”

Branstad said if Trump were to be re-elected, there would be a quick rebound to everything the nation has lost from COVID-19, and much more. 

“The president is going to invest in infrastructure, he’s going to invest in all of those things, to make Iowa great and to make America great,” he said. “And that is giving folks good jobs and giving them opportunities and choices for good jobs, and that’s what he’s really shown in his first three-and-a-half years since taking office.” 

Branstad concluded that what he loves about President Trump is how he focuses all day on the American people and workers. He urged all citizens to get registered and ready to vote for the 2020 election.