By Ben Rappaport
A new bill in the state House of Representatives would set aside money for a presidential library in honor of Donald Trump at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
House Bill 812, which was filed Monday, would allocate $10 million to UNC Pembroke from the UNC Board of Governors for a library that would house archives from Trump’s time in office.
The legislation is sponsored by several Republican legislators from rural southeastern North Carolina, including Jarrod Lowery, Brenden Jones and Ben Moss.
“This was an opportunity to put a shot out there,” Lowery, who represents Robeson County, told the Border Belt Independent on Thursday. “Why not UNC Pembroke?”
Donald Trump aims to raise $2 billion for a presidential library, which would make it the most expensive library of any president by far, according to The Washington Post. Lowery said the investment in Pembroke and Robeson County would be “game changing for the university.”
But Lowery said chances are slim that the project will become a reality, and he doubts the General Assembly will consider the bill this year.
Traditionally, presidential libraries are built in the state where a president was born or grew up.
Trump is a native New Yorker, but the state voted against him three times, and he was convicted of 34 felonies there last year for falsifying business records to conceal payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Several other states are vying for Trump’s presidential library, including Florida, his primary residence.
“But if there is that 1% chance he doesn’t want it in Florida and wants it somewhere else,” Lowery said, “I want Pembroke, Robeson County to potentially be on somebody’s radar.”
Lowery said Trump’s library would drive tourism and attention to the rural community that is home to the Lumbee Native American tribe.
Presidential libraries attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and generate millions in economic impact. Former President Barack Obama’s presidential library in Chicago was estimated to cost $830 million, according to the Associated Press.
North Carolina picked Trump each time he ran for office. Robeson County, home to about 117,000 people and UNC Pembroke, reliably picked Democrats for decades. But voters there have shifted to supporting Republican candidates, including Trump, saying the Democratic Party no longer aligns with their beliefs on immigration, abortion and LGBTQ+ issues.
Shortly after Trump took office in January, he signed a memorandum directing the Department of the Interior to compile a report within 90 days outlining potential paths for the Lumbee tribe to get full federal recognition. Congress granted the tribe partial recognition in 1956, but full recognition would allow the Lumbee people to access millions of dollars each year for education, health care and other services.
Lowery said House Bill 812 could pay for upgrades to Pembroke’s sewer, water and roadway infrastructure that would be needed to accommodate a flux of traffic and visitors to Trump’s library.
Rep. Garland Pierce, a Democrat representing Hoke and Scotland counties, originally signed on as a sponsor of the bill but quickly removed his support. He told the Border Belt Independent that signing onto the bill was a “massive and serious mistake.” He said he would not support the measure if it came to a vote.
The legislation apparently came as a surprise to UNC Pembroke administrators.
“UNC Pembroke was not consulted on HB 812 before its introduction,” said Jennifer McCarrel, a spokesperson for the university, in a statement to the Border Belt Independent. “In accordance with UNC System policy on institutional neutrality and out of respect for the legislative process, UNCP is not allowed to, nor will it take a position on this or any bill currently under consideration.”
UNC Pembroke Chancellor Robin Cummings was criticized for attending a Trump rally in Robeson County ahead of the 2020 election. Students said at the time they worried the university would be tied to Trump’s re-election campaign. Cummings, who is Lumbee, said he attended the rally to support full federal recognition of the tribe.
UNC Pembroke, one of the most diverse colleges in the Southeast, dissolved its diversity office in September to comply with a new UNC System policy.
Lowery said House Bill 812 is meant to appeal to more than Trump.
“I invite not only Trump, but any future president, to consider UNC Pembroke for their presidential library,” Lowery said. “It doesn’t matter if it had Biden or Trump or any name on it; UNCP is a beautiful place, and we want more investment in it.”
This story has been updated from its original version to include a statement from UNC Pembroke.
