President-elect Donald Trump has shifted his stance on many controversial issues — even before he began his 2016 presidential campaign. The post-election Trump has continued this trend, and ASU conservatives are divided on the implications of his indecision.
Most Republican students said despite the stance shifts, they still stand by Trump and are hopeful he will keep other promises.
Jake Corsi is the president of Students for Trump at ASU and a political science senior. He said Trump's policy stance shifts have not affected his support for Trump.
"All politicians (change their stances after election), I wouldn't put it just on Donald Trump in this unique situation," Corsi said. "I'll wait till his presidency and when he starts implementing policy until I rush to judgment ... I would say no matter where he goes with his position, they would be better than Hillary Clinton's positions."
He said so far he has no significant objections with any of Trump's shifts. He is particularly happy Trump is not pursuing prosecution for Hillary Clinton's email scandal because it would have further divided the nation.
Mark Atkins is the treasurer of College Republicans and said Trump's wavering position on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, has been disappointing.
"It's certainly disappointing to see," Atkins said. "I haven't been a big supporter of Trump, but I was glad to have a candidate that at least wanted to repeal Obamacare. Unfortunately, Mr. Trump wants to stay on this path of socialized healthcare which is not what I believe in."
Although Atkins wants Trump to pursue his promise of this repeal, he said he was glad Trump has weakened his position on border security.
"I hope that he does back away from his wall idea," Atkins said. "I think that conservatism should be about compassion for others. I'm still not a fan of him trying to deport all these illegals, but I would be glad to see personally if he backs away from the wall because I don't think that it is needed."
Some students said they are nervous about the potential of Trump changing his stance on other key issues. Jen Custis, the secretary of College Republicans and a secondary education and history junior, said Trump's unpredictable nature has helped him get elected, but could be concerning for his supporters.
"After the past week, it is definitely a concern, but like I said, I can't tell right now because all the riots broke out," Curtis said. "Nobody knows because it's Trump and nobody knows what his strategy is ... I don't think he should have lied because I think that part of the reason he won is because people thought he was honest."
She said Trump's wavering stance on LGBTQ rights, especially marriage equality, is not concerning.
"It's already in the books, so it would be really hard, and it would take a lot of money and fighting to get that repealed because it is now in the law," she said. "As a conservative, I would say that it is a good thing that he is leaving that alone."
Reach the reporter at Garrison.Murphy@asu.edu or follow @Garrison_Murphy on Twitter.
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