VIDEO: Students shocked that Obama also sent troops to border
They called it a "a huge waste of money" and "a totally uncalled for act of power," but when they learned that Obama had done the same thing, they said the difference came down to "intentions."
The students I spoke with at the University of California, Santa Barbara were, predictably, no fans of President Trump's deployment of the National Guard to the border.
Last week, President Trump announced a plan to deploy troops from the National Guard to the southern border in an attempt to stop the influx of illegal activity in the region.
Critics of the move were vocal in their condemnations, claiming it was excessive and subtly racist in nature.
The decision, while controversial, is not without precedent, as Presidents Obama and Bush each enacted similar measures during their times in office.
[RELATED: Students hate Trump SOTU quotes, but they’re Obama’s]
With that in mind, I headed to the University of California, Santa Barbara to find out if outrage at the decision was based more on policy considerations, or merely the personality of the person enacting that policy.
Students immediately made clear that they would not support any measure that would send troops to protect the border.
One opened by saying “It’s not justified...it’s a totally uncalled for act of power,” while another remarked that “I don’t think it’s good to send militarized troops to people who are coming in unarmed.”
One student said bluntly, “I’m not a huge fan of the military to begin with...I think it would be a huge waste of money.”
What would these same students say when they discovered President Obama did the same thing Trump is doing now? Would they be equally as outraged?
Watch the full video to find out!
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @cabot_phillips
