Trump favor on campus sparks mixed responses
A recent Irish Rover poll found that Notre Dame students narrowly favor former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris 48 to 46 percent in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. The poll received widespread attention both on Notre Dame’s campus and beyond, eliciting a variety of reactions within the student body. The Rover followed up with students, who offered their opinions on their perception of Notre Dame’s political environment and its impact on the future of the university.
The results of the poll indicated that political sentiments on campus have vastly changed since the 2020 election, when the student body favored Biden 66 percent, with only 29 percent supporting Trump. Moreover, given that nearly two-thirds of American college administrators self-identify as liberal, the fact that a majority of Notre Dame students support Donald Trump came as a surprise to some.
In contrast, most of the students interviewed did not find these recent results to diverge from their perception of the Notre Dame political climate.
A freshman in Knott Hall told the Rover, “I thought the margin would be even more in favor of Trump because the Catholic influence on campus usually produces more conservative-leaning people.” He further elaborated that he expected the poll to reflect the Catholic identity of the campus, and thus produce more widespread support for the Republican candidate.
The Knott Hall resident continued, “Notre Dame offers opportunities to have discussions and talk about political differences, so I believe the students will remain peaceful and aware of what is important in this election.” He emphasized that he believed the political division indicated by the poll will not cause any “disputes detrimental to the [Notre Dame] campus environment.”
A freshman in Dunne Hall expressed similar sentiments, explaining, “Notre Dame is more conservative in [her] religion and policies, so I would expect that Notre Dame students would reflect those values.” He added, “Because we are not like other college campuses, we are going to trend more conservative.”
A freshman from Lewis Hall told the Rover, “Since Donald Trump was already president and is very popular, I am not surprised that students would support him.” She revealed her belief that campus will “remain calm because many students already know who most people support.”
All of these Notre Dame students also stated that they believed these results would not alter the campus environment due to the fact that “most students are already aware” of the political landscape depicted by the poll. The Dunne Hall resident specifically expressed the view that “Notre Dame students will remain civil and … look to peaceful discourse rather than conflict” in the month leading up to the election.
Some students were more surprised by the willingness of their peers to openly support Trump. One such comment came from a Chinese exchange student living in Siegfried Hall, who is taking a Notre Dame course on the 2024 election and describes himself as a “liberal supporter of Donald Trump.”
He shared with the Rover that “students in the ‘Election 2024’ class are about half for Trump and half for Kamala,” but as the liberal professor further expresses his anti-Trump views, less and less students are stating their conservative opinions. He claimed he was “surprised when Notre Dame students were willing to demonstrate their support for Donald Trump” in the recent Rover presidential poll.
Although he cannot participate in the election himself, the Siegfried Hall resident offered insight into how his experience with U.S. education has impacted the way he views the American political system. Specifically, he claimed that many of his peers believe Harris is a “better political figure and debater” but also acknowledge Trump’s policies are postured at “practicality and success.”
Another freshman living in Lewis Hall echoed a similar sentiment for different reasons, explaining that “Trump’s radical figure and polarizing rhetoric makes me slightly surprised that so many students would support him.” She also shared that she was surprised that a community “so committed to bringing a good into the world” would support a man with “such a crude and criminal past.”
As a Harris supporter, she expected that a student body made up of “mostly white Catholics” would support a Republican candidate, but not Donald Trump specifically. She expressed concern that, due to the pro-Trump majority, “Notre Dame students will be less friendly and aware of people who do not share the same opinions … and as a black, bisexual student I feel less comfortable in certain spaces.”
With less than thirty days to go before the November vote, students on campus are still divided over their political beliefs and the impact the election will have on Notre Dame.
Raymond Webber is a freshman philosophy and political science major. After a long day, he relaxes by watching sit-coms on his futon. Contact him at rwebber2@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: PBS
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