It’s that time again. The 2024 primaries are rapidly approaching and with such an event, Iowa is making the switch from fly-over state to must-see for those looking to make a presidential bid. On Saturday, December 2, it was Donald Trump who made his stop, holding a rally in Johnson Hall.
Trump, who currently leads Iowa polls for the Republican Party, was joined by names such as Brenna Bird, Mark Lucas, and Matt Witaker as well as several leaders of local GOP sects.
While there was little announcement made by Kirkwood ahead of the event itself, word has spread among the student body like wildfire with many students finding out about the former president’s appearance in the following days.
Many students embraced having such a major figure from the world stage visit a college like Kirkwood, “I think it’s a good thing. Gives different perspectives of things,” said Andrea Mysak who is studying Liberal arts, “I think it’s really important.”
Javaughn Stuart, business marketing major, said, “That’s pretty cool for a community college to have somebody that big on campus.”
However, not every student agreed with the college hosting such a controversial public figure. Cede Tutt, digital media major, said “I don’t really agree with it, but I’m also not very heavily into politics… I don’t agree with it, but also, it’s the school’s decision to have what they want.”
He continued by adding, “I don’t think that they should have any politicians just for the sake of not having a giant political discourse among campus. It could enlighten some students depending on what their beliefs are, but at the same time, it could really cause a lot of unnecessary animosity towards other students.”
Gibson is an aspiring journalist with a variety of roles under his belt including his roles as news editor and managing editor for the Communique. Once he earns his associate degree from Kirkwood, he plans on transferring to a four-year university to major in Mass Communications and Journalism. Once earning his bachelor’s degree, he intends to follow his dream of becoming a sportswriter.
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