Donald Trump Jr. invited to speak as part of UNT’s Kuehne Speaker Series
Courtesy of UNT
This story was updated Wednesday, August 23
Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has been invited to speak as part of the UNT Kuehne Speaker Series on Oct. 24.
UNT spokesperson Kelley Reese said the contract for the venue has not been finalized, despite a post on UNT’s website saying on August 16 the event would be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
UNT has since removed AT&T Stadium as the venue.
Specific details regarding the event are still unknown at this time. A UNT spokesperson said the contracts between the parties has not been executed. Information regarding the amount Trump Jr. would be paid to speak has not been disclosed at this time. What Trump Jr. will discuss is also unavailable.
The North Texas Daily has requested the executed contract between Trump Jr. and UNT through an open records request.
“As a public university that encourages the expression of differing points of view as part of the learning process, UNT welcomes speakers who represent all viewpoints, including conservative, liberal and progressive political ideology as well as all positions in between,” Reese said.
A press release from the Office of the President August 17 stated support for UNT’s “deep and rich diversity,” but did not mention the event or Trump Jr.
“The University of North Texas long prides itself on celebrating the many facets of diversity on our campus,” the statement reads. “We are a caring community that has always been a place for the free exchange of ideas, differing viewpoints and healthy discussion and debate.”
The press release went on to condemn racial intolerance, hate speech and violence.
UNT President Neal Smatresk could not be reached for comment about the event at this time.
Reaction
After the announcement, several students and alumni, including ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, spoke out against the event.
This is embarrassingly tone deaf and poorly timed. @UNTPrez
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) August 17, 2017
Others had similar reactions.
#UNT should not support the administration's hateful rhetoric; by bringing him to campus you are doing exactly that.
— Tanya Marun ? (@MissMarun) August 17, 2017
While some expressed interest in the event.
Sincerely interested in what he has to say.
— Doug Brodess (@Dougbrodess) August 17, 2017
The Kuehne Speaker Series is supported by private donors and sponsors, including the Office of the President and over 20 other UNT institutions. The series’ website states it was established to provide a forum to engage in conversation about topics of national and global relevance.
Trump Jr. will mark the first speaker for the 2017-2018 year for the Kuehne Speaker Series. The other guest for this year is Melissa Francis, who is an anchor and host for the FOX Business Network and FOX News Channel. She has spoken at the series in the past and will speak in March 2018.
Since its creation in 2013, the series has hosted speakers such as Andrea Tantaros, a co-host and panelist on FOX News Channel, Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City and one of President Trump’s key supporters during his 2016 campaign, oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens and most recently, Charles Gasparino, a senior correspondent for the FOX Business Network and “New York Times” bestselling author.
Sponsorships for the event range from $5,000-$50,000. A $5,000 annual sponsorship includes a reserved table for eight guests while a $50,000 presenting sponsorship includes two tables for 10 guests and four invitations to a VIP breakfast with the speaker.
Calls to David Broughton, the listed spokesperson for the event, were not immediately returned.
This story is developing.
Featured Image: Donald Trump Jr. Courtesy of UNT
Has UNT lost their ever-loving mind? Why bring such an asshole to speak to this liberal university? UNT never ceases to amaze me in the stupid stunts they pull! As an alum, I am insulted that they would do something as stupid aas this!
Your response is to call him a name because his political views are not the same as yours. Typical! That is why conservatives and moderates consider liberals as immature, pathetic and hateful, and that is why liberals keep losing.
UNT is not a “liberal university.” As a state university, it is nonpartisan and so should not discriminate against a speaker because of his or her political views, particularly a speaker who is being paid for by private donations. I would think that UNT taught you to think logically and critically when you were a student, instead of being indoctrinated into the so called “progressive” liberal mindset – which actually isn’t progressive at all.
UNT should not engage in political bigotry. Insisting that an invited speaker be disinvited because he or she has conservative political views is political bigotry. I’m saddened to see so many of our students, alumni and others display their hatred and bigotry on social media. You are in the same category as anyone who discriminates against someone because of that person’s skin color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, etc. There is no room for that at UNT. This is a speaker series funded by a UNT donor, and that donor has every right to invite someone who aligns with his political views as a speaker. If you don’t like that, tough! You can’t always him things your way. And don’t go. I don’t agree with a lot of liberal speakers brought to campus, so I stay away. I don’t whine, call people names, curse, etc. on social media. That is hateful and immature and we all should be better than that. You can express your displeasure without showing hate and using disgusting language.
UNT, I WAS A FAN. You lost me with this invitation.
how much are you paying that disgusting animal murderer?
There is no proof that he is any of those things. So your response is to call him names. That’s why conservatives and moderate – re: the majority of Americans – are laughing at you or thinking you’re pathetic.
The list of past and future speakers doesnt seem to match the “all viewpoints” statement releaswd by the office if the president.
It is “all viewpoints” because UNT welcomes speakers of all political ideologies. The recent Distinguished Lecture Series speakers mostly have liberal political ideology. The Kuehne Series has conservative or moderate speakers. That is “all viewpoints.” UNT does not take one political stance over the other. And there are more conservatives here that you would probably suspect. They’re just not loudmouths and don’t throw tantrums when they don’t like an invited speaker.
What an embarrassment. There’s nothing admirable or interesting about this guy. Everything he is and accomplished have been bought by his wealthy dad.
Obviously you’re not printing conservative opinions, because you never printed my opinion about the hysterical snowflake behavior regarding the invitation to Donald J. Trump. That is political bigotry, and you’re not a good newspaper if you engage in that.
UNT will not be regarded as a serious university if it uninvites a speaker because a small but loudmouthed number of students, alumni and others insist on that – even though the speaker is being funded by private donations, not student fees, and will not be on the UNT campus – Kuehne speaker events never are held on campus, because they’re aimed at current and potential donors, and not students. Universities that have disinvited speakers because they have conservative political ideologies while embracing speakers with far left liberal ideologies are, at the very least, laughingstocks to many Americans, not seen as serious academic institutions by others and seen as hateful and intolerant by others. Do you really want UNT to become like that? NO ONE is forcing you to donate to the Kuehne series or see Donald Trump Jr. GET OVER IT!!