Today USC hosted its first “political fest” at Alumni Park celebrating political and advocacy organizations on campus. There was a food truck, free merch, and bustling conversations about the political future of America. Irene Kim has more with the story.
With the recent arraignment of former President Donald Trump last week, our political future is changing. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, student organizations gave their insight on the topic at USC’s Annual Political Fest today in Alumni Park.
A member of the USC GOP, David Fuentes, a third year undergraduate student, believes that the former President’s arraignment is being used as a tool more than a fight for justice.
FUENTES: Many of our members do think this that this whole the indictment, the arrest was all very, very politically motivated. It wasn’t so much as a sense of promoting justice and equality. It was more of just promoting Democrats this to maintain the presidency with Biden, of course...but i think right now, regardless of whose in power, whether were Republicans or Democrats, it’s just a bunch of fighting within Congress, a lot of division between the two sides.
On the other side, James Aranguren, the communications director of the Trojan Democrats, is hesitant to whether or not Trump’s arraignment will actually lead to change. The problem is bigger than just one arrest.
JAMES: We have seen countless times in the past where powerful people get to avoid jail time or avoid consequences for their illegal actions simply because they are powerful and. What is most concerning is. How our country treats legal abuses.
Aranguren thinks there’s more that needs to be addressed in this country.
JAMES: Donald Trump isn’t the problem in this country. I think he’s emblematic of a lot of problems, but he isn’t the problem. If Donald Trump loses in 2024, it doesn’t do anything about income inequality. It doesn’t automatically do anything about racial justice. It doesn’t automatically do anything to protect the LGBT community. It doesn’t automatically mean that things are going to get better on any of those fronts if Donald Trump loses.
Clearly, there’s heavy discourse on what this arraignment will mean for his 2024 campaign. In fact, graduate student and worker at the Center for the Political Future, Gabriel Romero predicts that the arraignment reveals more about the importance of abiding the law.
GABRIEL: This indictment proves that, you know, like truly, like in the eyes of our legal system, no one is above the law. No one is is higher than, you know, higher in value or importance than anyone else. Everyone is equal under the eyes of the law.
For a deeper dive into this topic and many others, join the Political Student Assembly next Tuesday from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Tommy’s Place for the Spring 2023 Student Debate.
From Annenberg Media, I’m Irene Kim.