Students for Trump

Charlie Kirk, the group's chairman since July 2019

Students for Trump was founded in 2015 by Ryan Fournier and John Lambert, students at Campbell University in North Carolina, United States, who started tweeting positive information about Donald Trump.[2] The Houston Chronicle reported that George Lombardi,[3] a New York City real estate developer and friend of Donald Trump who—among hundreds of Trump-supporting Facebook groups—had set up a "Students for Trump" Facebook group, acted as an advisor.[4] On August 6, 2015, Fournier and Lambert were impressed by then high schooler Alexander Chalgren, who appeared as a questioner on the first Fox News Republican primary debate.[5] Alexander asked a question of the candidates concerning ISIL, which was cited as the "most important" question of the evening. The question sparred an intense debate between then Mr. Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz. Students for Trump founders reached out to Mr. Chalgren via Instagram inquiring as to his political affiliation, and found him to be an early supporter of Donald Trump. After a brief interview and screening process, Chalgren was offered an integral early position within the organization as South Carolina Director, but eventually rose to the post of National Director. Mr. Chalgren is South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster's adopted cousin.[6] Alexander made his second debut onto the national scene in his This American Life interview with Zoe Chace in 2016.[7] According to the New York Times, Chalgren was the most famous young Trump supporter in America.[8]

Fournier's first television appearance for the organization was on TBS.[9] Students for Trump activities were highlighted in a BBC documentary, "Trump's Unlikely Superfans,"[10] and an NBC News exclusive titled "Students for Trump: Meet the Millennials Who Want Him to Win."[11] In 2016, the organization switched from a traditional campaign model with Regional, State, and Chapter coordinators, to a model with Campus Ambassadors that perform roles similar to that of a campaign field intern. In August 2016, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that the organization "had nearly 300 campus chapters and a bevy of social-media followers – 29,000 on Twitter, 59,000 on Instagram, thousands more on Facebook."[12]

James Allsup on air

The campaign however, had numerous problems before and after the election. In April 2016, a Students for Trump Florida chapter placed a "Make America Great Again" ball cap on a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. just days after the anniversary of his death, prompting widespread outrage.[13] Salon magazine reported that Ryan Fournier worked with white nationalists when he was head of Students for Trump.[14] Media Matters said that Fournier hired white nationalist James Allsup as director of the Campus Ambassador Program. Allsup was a member of the American Identity Movement and marched at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.[15][16]

By March 2017, following Trump's election as President of the United States, The College Fix reported that the organization's chapters had "largely disbanded or halted meetings."[17] In February 2018, The Daily Beast reported that Students for Trump had never correctly complied with making reports to the Federal Election Commission as a political action committee.[18] The FEC wrote nine letters to the organization requesting information about donors without response, but ultimately decided to take no action other than to warn the political action committee.[19]

On June 23, 2020, Students for Trump held their Arizona Convention at the Dream City church in Phoenix with featured speaker President Donald J. Trump. The event occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic that peaked in the region. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallegos said that masks would not be required for the event and officials of the Dream City church claimed that air ionizers would protect participants, despite the lack of evidence for its efficacy.[20][21][22]