The Trump Bucket: The Perils of Being Conservative at Harvard

As a non-liberal student on Harvard’s campus, I’ve always had an instinct to stay quiet about my beliefs. I could never pin down why, though. Sure, there is the sheer fact that only 10.3 percent of students in the class of 2023 consider themselves to be somewhat conservative (while 2.1 percent call themselves very conservative). Overall, however, I’ve usually been able to override my instinct to remain subdued.

Recently, I was able to pin down a reason. While talking to a peer about her work with a conservative woman on campus — a moderate, at that — I asked her if she was conservative herself. She looked as though I had uncovered her deepest secret. Her eyes bulged and she stuttered. My first impression was that she was nervous to admit her conservatism; however, after reflecting, I’m almost positive that her apprehension was due to the common association of conservatism with Trumpism at Harvard.

The fear of being associated with Trump and the current Republican Party stifles conversations between liberal and conservative students while simultaneously delegitimizing conservative students’ beliefs. Going forward, both groups must take steps to create a productive, respectful dialogue. Moreover, liberals must correct their understanding of conservative views, and conservatives must overcome their fear of being labeled as supporters of a widely unpopular president among Harvard students.

Liberal students must take steps to differentiate Trumpism from conservatism. While some conservative students do support the president, my bet is that most on this campus do not (though if they do, their reasons for doing so may be surprising and acceptable to liberals upon open dialogue). Here is why: The president does not govern conservatively. The Trump administration has “hijacked” a traditionally conservative party and imposed on it a mix of populist assertions. As the GOP undergoes an identity crisis, a huge contingent of the party is finding itself politically displaced.

There are a few key distinctions between today’s party and the current administration. Conservatism does not entail an overall rejection of change, but is a moderated and controlled attitude towards change that asserts that when the government tries to resolve one issue, it usually creates more. Yet while many conservatives celebrate free trade, little government involvement, and consequently less spending, this administration has pursued heightened protectionism and huge amounts of government spending and expansion. Of course, it is hard to define conservatives as a whole over space and time, but what I can say with confidence is that just ten years ago, the Trump platform would not have survived a Republican primary.

With a better understanding of general conservative principles, liberal students may start to see conservatism as a distinct political philosophy and differentiate it from the surge of populism that they so harshly condemn. In the same vein, liberal students should also consider engaging Trump supporters in conversation to understand their standpoints — some of which will certainly be reasonable. In this way, they can leave the echo chambers that condemn and misconstrue the conservative ideology. Understanding leads to the type of dialogue that can heal the divides between ideologically opposed students on this campus.

While liberal students need to educate themselves and open the dialogue to all views, conservatives need to step up and stand by their opinions. Only then can they destigmatize their beliefs on campus.

Conservative students’ fear is understandable, however. The automatic association between President Trump and conservatism is not just deeply flawed, but it can even be dangerous for non-liberal students. The President is broadly perceived as an unintelligent, even malicious, individual in most circles on this campus. Take a moment and think about what your reaction would be if you were falsely accused of voting for President Trump and thus associated with those traits. Surely you would do everything in your power to dismiss the accusation. Perhaps you would avoid even bringing up topics that could lead to this conversation.

But even if I, and other non-liberals, fear speaking up, we cannot afford to stay quiet if we hope to engage in comprehensive, inclusive conversations on campus. For instance, I have made it a point to engage my liberal friends in more political conversations. This is always an anxiety-inducing experience at the beginning. In a short amount of time, however, the majority of my peers are surprised by the legitimacy of my opinions and my lack of maliciousness and ignorance.

Going into the 2020 elections, it is now more imperative than ever that liberal students overcome their false associations by listening with an open mind and educating themselves about actual conservatism. At the same time, conservative students also have a job to do: Instead of fearing what others think of them, they must clearly articulate their beliefs in order to distinguish themselves from the false caricatures that have become the defaults in so many of their peers’ minds.

Carine M. Hajjar ’21, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a Government concentrator in Eliot House.