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The Harvard Republican Club endorsed former U. S. President Donald Trump on Monday, the second time the club has endorsed Trump after snubbing his crusade during the 2016 election cycle.
Harvard Republican Club President Michael Oved ’25 announced his decision in an email to club members Monday night. The resolution came after an internal vote among the club’s registered electorate, as well as a vote through its board of directors, according to Oved. Oved said about 90% of the electorate in the club’s election voted for Trump.
“In this race, Donald Trump is the most qualified candidate to lead our country as president of the United States,” Oved wrote in a statement. “The Harvard Republican Club is proud to officially do so. “
This endorsement represents a year-long evolution of the Harvard Republican Club from “Never Trump” conservatism to aligning itself with the rest of the Republican status quo by adopting Trump.
In 2016, 80% of the club’s members voted against helping Trump, and the club issued a statement stating that Trump’s rhetoric “poisons our country and our children. “In 2020, the club endorsed Trump and praised several of his “milestones. “achievements”, but reserved some scruples about his political positions.
But this year the club has not yet presented any praise to Trump, but a harsh complaint to US President Joe Biden.
The UNHRC wrote in a press release that Trump “is the only candidate with the intellectual capacity to lead our country,” recalling Thursday’s presidential debate between Trump and Biden. Biden’s disastrous performance in the debate has put his crusade on the defensive and amplified considerations. about their ability to stay for another 4 years.
“Even the liberal media was shocked by Biden’s poor functionality and lamented his repeated stumbles, his loss of words, and his inability to speak kindly about his own policies,” the HRC wrote. “Millions of Americans,” adds this Council, “are wondering: a Biden presidency, who runs the country?
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung wrote in an email that Trump was “uniting the entire party and all Americans to defeat” Biden.
Notably, the HRC’s press release has avoided any mention of Trump’s conviction last month on 34 counts. The press release also doesn’t address another set of Trump’s favorite talking points: his claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” and his defense of the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to protest Biden’s election victory.
Instead, the press touted the Trump administration’s policy agenda, adding the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which permanently lowered the corporate tax rate and temporarily lowered the rates of some individual tax brackets.
The HRC also praised Trump’s work to “curb illegal immigration and build the border wall,” as well as his “commitment to protecting the Second Amendment. “
The press also focused on Trump’s six-to-three conservative majority on the Supreme Court, praising cases such as Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, where the Court declared racially motivated admissions unconstitutional, and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. , which overturned Roe v. Wade and left abortion policy in the hands of state governments.
In an interview, Oved came under pressure that this policy was a way to broaden the appeal of Trump and the Republican Party, and described it as “an explanation designed not only for the Harvard student body, not only for Republicans, but also for Democrats. “independents, by moderates.
“Especially on school campuses, you see academics and even professors who just don’t perceive how it can be that other people actually help President Trump,” Oved said.
“Describing all of that in this approval is really a way to show them that this is what we do and that we’ve decided everything correctly,” he added.
Conservative academics make up a small minority of Harvard’s student body, and Trump supporters an even smaller proportion. In The Crimson’s September poll of Harvard’s Class of 2027, 8. 4% of respondents describe themselves as conservative or very conservative.
Only 3. 6% of academics said they viewed Trump favorably, up from 7. 1% in 2020. However, only 39. 8% of the class of 2027 viewed Biden favorably, compared to 90. 1%. of 2024 elegance in 2020. La survey this year marks a sharp increase. declining for either candidate as the 2024 election approaches.
—You can contact the editor Elyse C. Goncalves at elyse. goncalves@thecrimson. com. Follow it in X @e1ysegoncalves or in Threads @elyse. goncalves.
—You can contact editor Tilly R. Robinson entilly. robinson@thecrimson. com. Follow it on X @tillyrobin.
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