The Yale College Republicans on Monday announced its endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, just days after the Harvard Republican Club said it would not support Trump in the general election.
In a brief statement, the Yale group acknowledged that while its members were split during presidential primaries, the organization encourages them to consider the “repercussions” of electing Hillary Clinton LAW ’73, the Democratic nominee for president. In an opinion piece for The Tab Yale, Yale College Republicans Co-Presidents Michaela Cloutier ’18 and Emmy Reinwald ’17 wrote that while the organization initially chose to refrain from any endorsement or denouncement, the group’s purpose is to connect members to the party’s nominees and support them at every level of government. Since the group’s Facebook post was published Monday morning, the statement has been seen by over 100,000 people and has garnered almost 700 reactions and over 200 shares.
“While not every member of our organization supported Trump in the primary, as an organization and branch of the GOP we support Republicans up and down the ballot,” the statement reads. “And yes, that includes supporting Donald Trump for president. We remain dedicated to achieving victory in the White House, here in Connecticut, and in our hometowns.”
The statement was released less than an hour after the organization was impersonated on Twitter. Using the logo of the Yale College Republicans, the account announced that the group would not be supporting Trump during the general election, adding that Trump does not represent the conservative values of the GOP and is “generally unfit” to be president.
The Yale College Republicans declined to comment.
On August 4, the Harvard Republican Club issued a statement announcing that it would not endorse Trump. This marks the first time the group will not endorse the Republican presidential nominee since the organization was founded in 1888. Referring to Trump as a “threat to the survival” of the country, the statement says that the Harvard Republican Club is “ashamed” of the nominee and that his outlook is not aligned with traditional Republican values.
“Donald Trump holds views that are antithetical to our values not only as Republicans, but as Americans,” the Harvard GOP statement reads. “The rhetoric he espouses – from racist slander to misogynistic taunts – is not consistent with our conservative principles, and his repeated mocking of the disabled and belittling of the sacrifices made by prisoners of war, Gold Star families and Purple Heart recipients is not only bad politics, but absurdly cruel.”
Dozens of conservative groups in college campuses across the country have voiced their support for the polarizing Republican candidate. Students for Trump, a national student-led organization, has nearly 50 chapters listed on its website, including groups at Harvard University, the University of Washington and Pennsylvania State University. Similarly, the Texas Federation of College Republicans — which includes more than 30 chapters — released a statement in late July congratulating Trump on his nomination.