Trump Is Speaking at a Historically Black College. His Allies Will Outnumber Students.

[demmiblue]

Source: NYT

COLUMBIA, S.C. — President Trump and his allies have billed his speech at a historically black college here on Friday afternoon as a chance to step outside the friendly confines of his supporter base and pitch his administration’s actions on criminal justice reform and black employment directly to a black audience.

But in the invitation-only room of about 300 people, only about 10 students will be admitted from Benedict College, which is hosting the event, said Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin of Columbia. More than half of the seats were reserved for guests and allies of the administration, organizers said.

The ticket distribution was first reported by McClatchy DC.

Mr. Trump is scheduled to open a three-day event at the college, billed as the “Second Step Presidential Justice Forum.” Leading Democratic presidential candidates will attend the forum on Saturday and Sunday to pitch their criminal justice plans, including former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/25/us/politics/trump-benedict-college-hbcu.html

[ffr]

1. His Axis of Evil will outnumber students

Fixed.

[thegoose]

2. This is such bullshit

Orange Dictator has created an alternate reality that so many idiots are going along with. WTF?

[Mike 03]

5. Yes. What comes after "gaslighting" because we're beyond that.

[The Mouth]

21. Loving, genuinely loving

Big Brother.

[dustyscamp]

20. The times we are living in are not normal

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Why did the college even bother to invite him?

Maybe I could hide in a custodian’s closet in the Capitol building, recite a speech to myself and then tell everyone that I’d given a speech at the Capitol. Likewise he gets to claim he gave a speech at a black college. Whoop de doo.

Trees falling in forests and all that.

[kimbutgar]

4. It would be great if the protesters drowned out his speech

Drumming, singing, rappers nonstop.

[2naSalit]

7. +1

I hope the students decline so that the crowd will be all white. those pics will be revealing. I too hope the protests drown him out and cause him to leave like MCCain had to leave the Navajo reservation that day he went careening in to lie to them about their poisoned water. I'd love to see him have to leave in a hurry before the three day event is over.

[flibbitygiblets]

8. THIS!

[world wide wally]

6. Don't even show this on TV news!

It's just a fucking sham

[ancianita]

9. He will always cast out those he hates, make them a "stage" for his performance of The Big Lie.

Allowed enough time for media platforms, he will do this to the whole country.

[Hekate]

10. Shameful. Cowardly. What a joke. The orange bully is a complete coward.

Trying to get inside the heads of the "honored" students ... The calculus is scary. If they insult him (i.e. protest inside the hall) he will punish their college, you can bet on it. I think I'd sit stonefaced and take pages of notes as a witness to history.

Gods, how I hate that monster.

OTOH, the Saturday/Sunday sessions will be filled to capacity with students eager to exercise their right to vote and fully cognizant (one hopes) of the contrast between Democratic candidates and -- that thing.

[highplainsdem]

11. Article on this from the Columbia SC State:

https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article236600088.html

[Politicub]

12. It puzzles me as to why he was even invited in the first place.

Why are so many people acting like things are normal? Times are not normal.

While the Second Step forum is important, there is nothing forcing the college to invite a traitorous president to defile its campus. In a normal world, inviting a president to speak would be expected. In the world in which we find ourselves, any thinking person should speak out against what is happening.

Every time an institution, media outlet, or anyone else acts like there is not a liar in the Whitehouse who can not be trusted, they chisel away at what little we have left of democracy. Every time the media cleans up Trump's incoherent ramblings into regular sentences for publication, they are holding the chisel for the GOP's sledgehammer.

I keep looking for our nominees to take on Trump with their rhetoric. They have the spotlight. I want to see them use it. Maybe they are and the media is ignoring them, but I don't see it. One of the only people who has figured out how to use her celebrity is Tulsi Gabbard. And she is using it against her own party by appearing on Fox and trashing the impeachment effort.

And to top things off for this appearance, only 10 students -- 10! -- will be in attendance. Everyone else will be from the MAGA cabal. And the cabal seeks to chisel away at the hard-won freedom of African Americans.

Why anyone would give Trump a forum to repair chinks in his armor is beyond me. I will never understand it.

[MineralMan]

13. How symbolic this is of the travesty that is Trump's presidency.

That he would go to a place like that, where he is truly unwelcome, and then exclude the people who are students and faculty at that college is a blatant finger given to the entire community.

Disgusting!

[JohnnyRingo]

14. Oh My God

This is absurd. Trump has to have his made for TV crew in there cheering and hooting on cue.

Hopefully none of the carnival barkers will start a "send them back" chant.

[bronxiteforever]

15. this is a real POTUS speaking at a school

JFK at Rice University speaking to a crowd of about 40,000

[burrowowl]

19. Yes!

[erpowers]

16. Pretend He Has More Black Support

So, I guess the point of this was the pretend he has more black support than he actually has in reality. When the crowd cheers, he can then claim, after the speech, that he has much larger black support than the media is giving him credit for having.

[NurseJackie]

17. He wouldn't be the first to do it. But the photos will reveal the truth...

... they always do.

[louis-t]

18. Waiting for him to say something REALLY stupid.

[Judi Lynn]

22. Trump speaks at HBCU Benedict College as students are asked to stay in dorms

Eric Connor and Carol Motsinger, The Greenville NewsPublished 10:41 p.m. ET Oct. 25, 2019 | Updated 10:41 p.m. ET Oct. 25, 2019

COLUMBIA, S.C. – In a way, what happened outside Benedict College's gates in the heart of downtown felt quite small. At its peak, the crowd covered less than 100 yards of the sidewalk. But the scene itself represented something much bigger: the fractured, divisive, sometimes ugly and often loud American political climate.

Protests erupted outside the 150-year-old historically black college where inside a school auditorium President Donald Trump spoke to a room filled with more political allies than students.

The event was billed as a keynote speech on bipartisan success in criminal justice reform, which the president tied to the booming economy he takes credit for and that he told his audience has helped black people more than ever before.

Benedict students, who the week prior pondered what questions they might ask the president once his surprise visit to the forum" was announced, were asked to stay in their dorms.

More:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/10/25/trump-speaks-hbcu-benedict-college-students-asked-stay-dorms/2462497001/

[FormerOstrich]

23. Oh My....

It doesn't seem like they invited him as much as he horned in on things (by surprise). BUT was he there within the parameters...they gave him an AWARD!!!!! Reading that article is astounding!

At the event, Trump was named the winner of the Bipartisan Justice Award. The award from the 20/20 Bipartisan Justice Center, a nonprofit organization founded by 20 black Republicans and 20 black Democrats in 2015, is given annually to a public servant who has demonstrated the ability to work across the aisle to achieve meaningful progress in reforming the criminal justice system, according to the White House.

[keithbvadu2]

24. Busing them in, eh?

Busing them in, eh?

[Brainfodder]

25. "Speaking" huh? Meanwhile the students are told not to show up, so he's busing in his cheerleaders?

Trying to be the worst douchebag jackass tool ever?

DJT for short?

[keithbvadu2]

26. Why would the college let themselves be used like that?

Why would the college let themselves be used like that?

[UpInArms]

27. Confining students in their dorm rooms

Trump spoke at a historically black college and students were asked to stay in their dorms

Exacerbating the befuddling optics of the event was the fact that students, outside a select handfull, were asked to stay in their dorms during Trump's appearance.

Classes were reportedly canceled, and students were given lunch in their housing units.

School spokesperson Kymm Hunter told multiple outlets that the decision was made for security reasons.

Instead of students, of which there are over 2,100, the speech was seemingly populated with around 200 supporters from outside of the college.

Columbia, South Carolina, Mayor Stephen Benjamin told CNN that he though they may have been "brought in" from somewhere else.