After winning the Republican Party nomination, Donald Trump was asked to speak at the Western Conservative Summit held in Denver, Colorado on July 1, causing various responses.
On one hand, some conservatives of Colorado were excited and flattered to be hosting Trump at the Colorado Convention Center for a three-day event.
"I’ve been asked by both sides not to have the other side there,” Jeff Hunt, executive director of the Centennial Institute associated with Colorado Christian University and in charge of putting on the event, told the Denver Post. “The no-Trump crew says, ‘Why are you inviting Trump? He’s not a conservative,’ and I’ve had the pro-Trump people saying, ‘This needs to be a moment when, if we want to advance conservatism, we need to rally around Donald Trump.’”
Steve House, Colorado GOP Chairman, in the same article, comments on the benefits of Trump's appearance at the summit stating, “Mr. Trump has a fantastic opportunity to further party unity by speaking at the Western Conservative Summit in July. The Western Conservative Summit is one of the most important gatherings of conservatives across the country and affords Mr. Trump a tremendous platform to make his case directly to the people of Colorado."
On the other hand, some were protesting the candidate but not for the usual "anti-Trump" reasons.
Tyler Traylor, a student at Colorado Christian University, organized a gathering of those who disagreed with the candidate's views and wanted to make their voice heard in a peaceful way.
"The perceived relationship with our university (Colorado Christian University) and Donald Trump in local media was an immediate red flag. Although Donald Trump debatably aligns with a set of conservative thought, we wanted to be able to speak a voice that says that he does not represent the values that we feel our school exemplifies, specifically bringing forth the advancement of faith, family and freedom. We also had general concern about the perceived relationship, we wanted to be able to make clear that this was not an endorsement by our school, but rather an invitation to speak on conservatism as a whole", Traylor said.
Traylor, two other current CCU students and one alumnus stood outside of the convention center with posters expressing their message. It was quite different from the other Trump protests occurring around them, which were filled with seemingly hateful proclamations.
The aftermath, however, has been beyond what Traylor hoped for. "On the ground, we were able to have many conversations with believers and non-believers alike about the values that our school and faith hold, and continue to drive home the fact that we have our hearts set on a Kingdom of God, rather than of man. Following the protest, a simple Facebook search showed that protestors and non-protestors alike were actually talking about our group and showing support for the values that we were seeking to advance. Along with social media, we were given an opportunity to speak with many within the more formal media. We had an interview televised twice on Channel 2 news, mentions in The Gazette, the Rocky Mountain Collegian and as recently as July 6, articles were still being written about us in the Denver Post. I believe that our message has been successfully spoken."
As seen in Denver, it is clear the polarizing effects Trump has on the nation.
