This election season is heating up to be one of the closest and most polarized elections in the last several decades. News outlets such as the BBC have shown that the race will be down to just a key few states and only by a very slim margin. As the polls evolve, The Sentry looks to CU’s student body for their opinion on the top two candidates.
Donald Trump announced he would run as a nominee for the 2024 elections even amid the controversy that trailed his last election. With the January 6th insurrection behind him, he looks to reform Biden’s current plans. Selena Strasheim, a CU Denver junior, has been outspoken about her support for former president Donald Trump going into this election.
Strasheim, a Denver native, self-identifies as an independent with values rooted in conservatism and traditional American values. She says that American values include things like “…capitalist values, constitutional law values, pro-family, pro-life.”
“I have a very strong support for our constitution…,” says Strasheim.“I do frequently attend events that promote those values, such as the truth and liberty group.”
A key point for many Trump supporters, including Strasheim, is Trump’s economic policy. Strasheim states that “Donald Trump had great foreign policy, and the economy was much better. Inflation right now is out of control.” NPR’s Planet Money reports that Trump promises “low taxes, low regulations, low energy costs, low interest rates.” This includes new tariffs for Chinese goods that could bet up to 60 percent or 10 to 20 percent on other imports. Strasheim did not directly agree with this but does state that her lack of support for Biden’s agenda is because “… he was already president, I’ve seen the results. I am not happy with the economy today. I felt like it was more productive and doing better when he [Trump] was president.”
However, the largest issue for Donald Trump and many of his supporters is the current policies on illegal immigration. Strasheim states that “In order to address the immigration issue, the United States needs to increase border security and… check who is really coming in.” Trump has said he will implement “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.” He has also supported the rollback of many Obama and Biden era policies including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), refugee resettlement programs, and temporary protected status (TPS). Strasheim did not comment on these specific policies, but when asked about the immigration comments during the debate, she said, “He [Trump] was trying to explain what a serious issue illegal immigration is. A lot of people are coming from every corner of this earth and we don’t know who they are… that’s going to negatively impact the American people.”
Strasheim supports Donald Trump as a candidate because she believes that he aligns best with the values she finds most important while being someone that Americans can look up to. “He is very relatable to the American people… he is not ashamed to be an American and he makes it okay,” she says. When asked to elaborate on what would make someone proud to be an American, Strasheim states, “Taking pride in our civil liberties and the freedom we enjoy here in America… it’s a blessing to live in a capitalist country.” She continues in saying that “We are allowed to have our own religious beliefs and that’s very important… in other countries that’s not acceptable.”
