Former President Trump posted a campaign ad on his site, Truth Social, praising various counter-protesters on college campuses, including students who carried American flags.
“While campuses struggle to control students, UNC-Chapel Hill is regaining order.” The video begins.
The ad shows footage of pro-Palestinian students protesting across the country. Photos and videos are then shown of students holding American flags during demonstrations on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Images posted online showed members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity holding American flags and activists throwing objects. The incident occurred on Tuesday when pro-Palestinian supporters replaced the American flag with the Palestinian flag.
The scene resonated with people across the country, and a GoFundMe was set up to throw “Rager” at the fraternity. So far, it has raised more than $500,000, including a $10,000 donation from billionaire investor Bill Ackman.
The ad continued, splicing together news segments from Fox News and “Jesse Watters’ Prime Time” in response to the students who demonstrated.
The ad said the students were “standing strong” despite having “bottles and stones thrown at them”. The group called the UNC fraternity brothers “the most popular college students” and said they were “patriotic” by defending the Star-Spangled Banner.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre praised the group’s actions. She said all Americans have the right to peacefully protest, but it is wrong to forcefully take down the American flag and replace it with another flag. She said defending the American flag is “commendable.”
The UNC protest is one of many occurring on college campuses across the United States. Students are calling on the university to divest from Israeli companies and companies supplying weapons to Israel in its war with Hamas.
Although many protests have been peaceful, encounters with pro-Israel counter-demonstrators are increasing at demonstrations.
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