Dozens of IUP students protest Trump visit

INDIANA, Pa. – A few dozen Indiana University of Pennsylvania students marched in protest of former President Donald Trump's rally at their campus Monday.

As they marched along Wayne Street outside the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex in protest of the Republican presidential nominee, they were called communists and "baby killers" for their support of Democratic Party's presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

Hundreds of Trump supporters waiting to enter the rally saw the protesters and hurled insults, many with obscenities attached or some with a plea, "Leave the children alone."

"This is a lesson in humiliation," one student said as she marched.

The protesters' march was completed with security following behind, ensuring it went without incident.

The protest was organized by Andrew Muth, 24, a senior graduate student in biology and co-president of IUP College Democrats.

"We need to send a clear message that Trump and his rhetoric is not welcome on this campus," Muth said. "I'm grateful IUP has created an environment for free speech and provided this space and made sure we are staying safe."

After the march, protesters gathered at a parking lot designated for them.

About 70 protesters filtered through at various times.

Muth said he decries Trump for several reasons.

"He would dismantle the Department of Education, and he's not offering a plan on how we would keep IUP open," he said.

Roughly 5,000 people packed into the arena at the Kovalchick Center, where Trump said he indeed would end the Department of Education.

"I'm going to close the Department of Education and move education back to the states," Trump said.

He said transferring education to states would improve K-12 education.

However, the department's biggest expenditure is on higher education. More than 70% of its annual budget goes to the federal student aid program. The agency provides loans to students annually.

"Many students rely on federal student financial aid," Muth said.

During the rally, Trump also touted repealing the country's federal abortion law during his term as 45th president, and placing it in the control of the states.

"Another important issue is the fight for reproductive freedom," Muth said. "Those on the other side say we are murdering babies. We are providing health care for people who need it. There is nothing beautiful about incest or a woman having a miscarriage bleeding out in a parking lot. And his rhetoric when it comes to transgender people is disgusting. There is violence against transgender people in general that is disgusting."

IUP officials planned for 5,000 people inside the arena.

Arguments against Harris

Julius Cook, 90, of Oklahoma, drove 15 hours to attend the rally. He wore a suit and a Make America Great Again hat.

He said he believes strongly that abortion past 15 weeks is homicide and that the Biden- Harris administration is destroying the country by allowing undocumented immigrants across the borders. Trump supporters claim nearly 10 million undocumented immigrants have come into the United States over the past four years.

"If Kamala Harris gets in the White House, she's already invited 10 million new Democrats within four years," he said. "That's a lot of people. ... This is the greatest country ever, and we are losing it. If this girl (Harris) gets in, we've lost it."

The ralliers spoke of Trump aligning with their moral code in some way. Protesters said he goes against theirs.

Thad Dick, 20, of Altoona said as a born-again Christian, Trump aligns with his values.

"I relate to things with his moral agenda," he said. "I wouldn't say personality-wise he's a role model, but he stands with life, that's a big part of it."

Author and U.S. military veteran Sean Parnell spoke inside the venue, boiling the presidential race down to a "spiritual battle."

"It's a spiritual fight for the soul of the country, a fight between good and evil, and we are on the side of good," he said.

One of the protesters, Dmitri Woods, said although he is a nondenominal Christian, he doesn't believe in Christian nationalism.

"It's against what founding fathers believed," he said.

Among the ralliers, virtually all of them wearing at least one item of Trump campaign clothing, many also wore s of clothing combining their support of Trump with their religious convictions.

Trump has a strong hold on the Christian vote, but Trump encouraged more during the rally.

Six weeks out from the Nov. 5 election, Trump cited polls that he said showed he was ahead, but the Real Clear Politics average of presidential polls places Harris ahead of Trump in Pennsylvania by 0.7 percentage points.

"Christians, we got to get the Christians to vote," he said shortly after taking the stage at IUP. "They go to church, and they love church and that's great, but we have to get them out to vote. If we had Christians voting at full strength, we couldn't lose."

Woods said he's seen people deify Trump.

"Deifying a political figure is the next step to the worst kind of world we can possibly imagine," he said. "Seeing a political figure as a god, when he's a mere man, is extremely dangerous.

"It's especially a problem to deify a politician who believes what Trump believes. That's what we are seeing. In yards, Twitter posts – you don't have to be at a Trump rally to know that, but if you want it cemented in your brain, go to one of these things and listen to what they say.

"When your neighbor has a different opinion, you are evil," Woods said. "Calling one side evil because they are trying to stand up for the rights of other people is wrong. There needs to be more self-reflection. There's voter amnesia. Throughout history, the first step in good people being killed for no other reason than being different is dehumanization and objectification."

Woods referred specifically to immigrants and women and transgender people as those being dehuminized and objectified by Trump, he said.

Trump not 'deified'

Paul Ruffner, of Indiana, is a Trump supporter and pastor. He said he believes most strongly in God, country and family.

He shook his head when asked about Trump being deified by supporters.

"I've questioned that and prayed on it, but no," he said with a laugh. "He's a human like you and me. He's just a man that has a platform. He is able to do something we are not able to do."

Cindy Rogers, of Clearfield, was among the people wearing a shirt reading "Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president." Her daughter, Amanda Thompson, wore a "God, guns, Trump" shirt.

"We've seen a lot of people where they've idolized him or say he has the power of the Lord," Thompson said. "He doesn't. We believe he was placed in this time and place to do what the Lord wants. He was meant to be here, but if he doesn't win, the Lord's will be done, there must be another plan."

Thompson, who is pregnant, said: "Faith is number one," for us. "Abortion is wrong."

She said inflation is also a concern.

"We want to stand behind a better world for our family," she said.