Excitement for Trump is at all-time high for College Republicans

As clubs prepare for Friday's presidential inauguration, excitement for Trump is at an all-time-high for Penn College Republicans.

In addition to sending a few dozen students to the inauguration on Friday, College Republicans will also host a viewing party on campus.

College Republicans President and Wharton junior Sean Egan  explained that Friday will be a good day for the club even though many of its members were skeptical of Trump throughout the election.

“It’s going to be a really big and transitional day,” Egan said. “I think a lot of our members who were originally very skeptical of President-elect Trump are very happy with the transition period and the cabinet level picks. Based on that, I would say people are a lot more excited now than even a few weeks ago.”

This past September, a majority of Penn Republicans said that they did not plan to support Trump in the election — a poll indicated that only 40 percent of club members supported him.

Egan also explained that College Republicans will have the opportunity to change its focus after the inauguration.

“Once the confirmations go through, we are going to work on trying to get some high-level officials to campus.”

For other Penn students, the inauguration will be challenging. Penn Democrats will not be hosting an official viewing event. However, it is planning to bus dozens of students to Washington D.C. on Saturday for the Women’s March to protest Trump’s election.

Penn Democrats President and College sophomore Rachel Pomerantz  explained that Penn Democrats did not want to give the inauguration any more attention.

“I don’t think that watching the inauguration shows support for Trump, but I don’t think we should give it any more fanfare than need be.”

Pomerantz explained that this inauguration is uniquely difficult as a result of such a controversial election.

“When John Lewis said that [Trump] is not a legitimate President, he didn’t mean that he is not a legitimate president by law," she said. "Based on the way the election was conducted and all the evidence that has come out about Russia, we don’t believe that he represents the will of the people.”

Despite not holding an official viewing, Pomerantz said that Penn Democrats was not opposed to its members watching the inauguration.

“We’re not telling our members not to watch the inauguration — that’s not our thing,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll watch it. I probably will.”

Penn International Affairs Association will also not be hosting a viewing party despite having events for the debates as well as the election in November.

“The inauguration just wasn't prioritized as an event,” said vice-president and College senior Marc Petrine. “Not having a watch party wasn’t so much a targeted slight to Trump—we just did not really have a discussion about it.”