Some Students Think Attacks on Trump Help Him

HARLEM

Some students at The City College of New York (CCNY) link the presidential race with the attempts on the life of  Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump. “The assassinations attempted have acted as a fuel to strengthen Trump’s appearance of resilience,” said Abel Lockhart, a City College sophomore. 

Karthik, also a sophomore, is not eligible to vote because he is not a US Citizen. He didn’t want us to use his last name, but he wonders about the two assassination attempts. The first occurred on July 13 when Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The other on September 15, when he was playing golf in Florida.  Karthik questioned if those assassination attempts were staged. He asked, “Why weren’t there any attempts before? Why did they start after Kamala Harris announced her candidacy?”

Josh Perez, a sophomore said, “Those people are usually extremists who justify their behaviors through violence and are acting through a hero complex, where they want to make something better or stop what they perceive as evil or unjust by enacting a plan of their own.”

Assassination theories aside, students who talked about the election noted its importance and said they had strong feelings. But they were reluctant to say too much.  Their hesitancy seems logical, given the heated debates and strong opinions that surround this election.

One  student who asked to keep his identity anonymous said, “People don’t want to get in problems and controversies because of the elections. They can have respectful conversations about it, but it’s hard.” 

He also thinks that a lot of people want the former president,and a convicted felon, Trump “gone” and nowhere near the Oval office. Abel Lockhart agrees, but he also added that those assassination attempts are actually working in Trump’s favor and have helped to strengthen his image.

Despite their views on the candidates and whom they are supporting, all these students predicted that former President Donald Trump is more likely to win.