Former President Trump recently posted a campaign ad on his Truth Social site, commending various counter-protesters on college campuses, including students who boldly held up the United States flag.
The ad begins by stating, “While campuses struggle to get control of their students, at UNC-Chapel Hill, they are bringing order back.” It then showcases clips of pro-Palestinian students protesting nationwide, followed by photos and videos of students at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill who courageously held up the American flag during a campus demonstration.
The ad highlights the actions of members from the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, who were seen in viral posts holding up an American flag while activists threw items at them. This incident occurred on Tuesday when pro-Palestinian supporters replaced the American flag with a Palestinian flag.
The scene resonated with people nationwide, leading to a GoFundMe page to throw the fraternity “a Rager.” The page has raised over $500,000, including a $10,000 donation from billionaire investor Bill Ackman.
The ad continues by splicing together news segments from Fox News and “Primetime with Jesse Watters,” where they responded to the students who demonstrated.
It praises the students for “standing strong” despite being “pelted with bottles and rocks.” The ad labels the UNC fraternity brothers the “most popular college students” and commends them for being “patriotic” in defending the American flag.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre praised the group’s actions, stating that all Americans have the right to protest peacefully. Still, it’s not right to forcefully take down the American flag and replace it with another one. She found it “admirable” to protect the American flag.
The UNC protest is one of many happening on college campuses across the country, with students calling on their universities to divest from Israeli companies or companies that supply weapons to Israel in its war with Hamas. While many protests have remained peaceful, a growing number of demonstrations have been met with counter-protesters who support Israel.