GOP frontrunner Donald Trump continued to draw media and social media attention this week, gaining over 70,000 Twitter followers while live-tweeting during the first Democratic debates on Tuesday night.
This total was more than the entire Democratic field combined where Bernie Sanders gained 46,000 followers and Hillary Clinton gained 10,000.
“I think Trump brings a very different kind of energy to the political scene that we have not seen before,” said TU junior petroleum engineering major Andrew Stone. “He is not politically correct, which might be a little dangerous, but could also be the kind of bravado that America needs in a president. He may not be the best Republican candidate in my opinion, but I think his concern for the American worker and homeland security bring up some important issues that need to be addressed in this next presidency.”
“It might be seen on Twitter as if he had many followers, but that doesn’t give him the presidency,” said TU psychology major Sarai Torres-Hurtado.
“As a Hispanic TU student I feel like Trump has nothing on me. He doesn’t realize the power of Hispanics. Older Hispanics don’t usually have Twitter or anything like that. They will vote, they will have a say. Not for themselves, but for their children.”
Trump’s outspokenness lead to criticism after Monday’s No Labels Problem Solver Convention in New Hampshire when Harvard student Joseph Choe asked a question about US military presence in South Korea.
Before Choe finished his question, Trump asked, “Are you from South Korea?”
To which Choe responded “I was born in Texas, raised in Colorado.”
“[Trump] continues to show his racial insensitivity,” said TU senior chemical engineering major Allen Shih. “This gaffe is only embarrassing in a Q&A session but on the international level it could lead to irreparable damage. His insensitivity is bound to turn other countries away.”
Trump also drew sharp criticism at the same conference after implying that George W. Bush was partially responsible for allowing 9/11 to happen.
“[George W. Bush] was president, okay?” Trump said. “Blame him or don’t blame him but he was president. The World Trade Center came down during his reign.”
“How pathetic for [Trump] to criticize the president for 9/11. We were attacked & my brother kept us safe,” GOP candidate and Bush brother Jeb Bush tweeted on Friday.
Trump will continue his campaign with rallies in Iowa and Florida along with the next Republican debate on Oct 28 at 7 pm CT at UC-Boulder, CO.
