Students lined up on Thursday with excitement for former President Donald Trump's rally inside ASU's Mullett Arena, which was met by a protest at 12:30 p.m.
The arena doors opened around 10 a.m. when students began filtering in with the rest of the crowd on the south side of the building.
In the swarm of red hats and Trump merchandise, students waited eagerly to see the presidential candidate in person and hear his commentary on policies just 12 days before Election Day.
"I think that it's a cool opportunity — It helps the new generation understand everything," said Janice Fang, a freshman studying nursing. "I just think that it's cool that he's coming to a college."
Other political figures and celebrities have visited ASU's campus over the past few months to gather support for their preferred candidates. A week before the rally, the president of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, stopped in the Tempe campus for the Brainwashed tour with Bryce Hall and George Janko.
READ MORE: Charlie Kirk's Brainwashed Tour stops at ASU with special guests Bryce Hall and George Janko
"There's a lot of voters here undecided, so it provides an opportunity to bring those voters to (a) side," said Alejandro Reyes, a freshman studying electrical engineering.
The college-aged population is playing a significant role this election season. ASU had over 79,000 immersion students in 2023, and polling locations are open on all four major campuses.
When asked how they felt about a Trump rally on campus, some students said they liked seeing the conservative side of the election race at the University.
Kadyn Mathis, a junior studying sports business, said it is important for Trump to visit college campuses because the former president "opens up everyone's eyes" in discussing topics that professors may speak differently on.
Around 30 individuals who disagreed with the presence of the former president on campus started a protest when the rally began.
At around 12:30 p.m., protesters showed up on the northwest corner of Rural Road and University Drive to "protest against a violation of our spaces, the arrival of fascist Donald Trump and ASU's blatant disregards of their own rules on non-partisanship and free speech," according to a post shared by both Students for Justice in Palestine at ASU and Young Democratic Socialists of America at ASU.
Sophie Levitt, co-chair of SJP and a senior studying justice studies, said the rally being held on the Tempe campus refutes the claim of "nonpartisanship" by the University.
"I don't think that we should (host Donald Trump)," Levitt said. "If we claim to be nonpartisan, if student workers are being sent emails that we can't endorse candidates in any way (and) that we can't use university resources to do so, then it makes no sense that Donald Trump is allowed."
The protest dispersed around 2:15 p.m., roughly 30 minutes before Trump began his speech. They ended their march away from Mullett Arena to maintain the safety of the individuals involved.
Members who attended the rally began leaving Mullett Arena around 2:45 p.m., and the rest followed soon after Trump's speech.
"I really like his courage and dominance that he presents," Mathis said. "He's not afraid to back down, and he's very strong in his beliefs, and that's something we really need right now in our country."
Edited by George Headley, Sophia Braccio and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at elbradfo@asu.edu and follow @emmalbradford__ on X.
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Emma is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication and political science, with a minor in business. This is her second semester with The State Press.
