Trinity University warns free speech advocate named Trump to buy $76 liability insurance

A university warned a free speech advocate whose surname is Trump to take out liability insurance before giving a talk - in case woke activists tried to cancel her.

Trinity University in Texas said there was potential students would think Cherise Trump, executive director of Speech First, was 'related to Donald Trump, which may attract opposing groups'.

Cherise is no relation to the 45th President of the US - and only took the surname after marrying her husband in 2017.

She's previously been asked whether she's related to Donald since then. But she's never been a victim of mistaken identity, or harassed or targeted at any of the talks she gives on university campuses across the last two years.

Trinity University in Texas said there was potential students would think Cherise Trump, executive director of Speech First, was 'related to Donald Trump, which may attract opposing groups'

Cherise was asked to speak at Trinity University by the Young Conservatives of Texas. She regularly gives talks to colleges in her role as head of an organization that works to defend the First Amendment rights of students.

Despite a simple Google search revealing there is no relation, Jennifer Adamo, Trinity's director of risk management, wrote to student organizers on February 20 and said the event carried an 'elevated risk'.

The email added: 'When there is a chance for disruption or disturbance, the [Event Review Committee] recommends that a [certificate of insurance] is requested.

Cherise is actually no relation to the 45th President of the United States - and only took the surname after marrying her husband in 2017

'The ERC does not focus solely on topic when making recommendations. In this case, there is potential for others to mistakenly believe that Cherise Trump is related to Donald Trump which may attach opposing groups so it was recommended to request a COI from her organization, Speech First'. 

Cherise Trump, who paid $76 for an insurance plan, told Free Beacon: 'Trinity should be fostering a campus environment that encourages its students to hear differing ideas without turning to mob violence.

'Not only does this show that the university has little faith in its students' ability to use the internet [to Google her], it also coddles and shields students from opposing viewpoints.'

Despite a simple Google search revealing there is no relation, Jennifer Adamo, Trinity's director of risk management, wrote to student organizers on February 20 and said the event carried an 'elevated risk'

She added on Twitter: 'Universities continue to fear their students' reactions and then enable negative behavior by coddling them. This is in place of fostering campus environments that embrace the exchange of ideas, even ones you may disagree with.'

Cherise asked whether the university would have issued a similar message if her surname was 'Biden, Clinton or Bush'.

Young Conservatives of Texas president Ellis Jacoby said it was the first time one of their speakers had been asked to seek insurance. Previous talks about critical race theory and immigration - described by Jacoby as 'more controversial than free speech' - did not draw similar concerns.