RIPON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – President-Elect Donald Trump’s pick for National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn was in the area Monday evening. The retired Army 3-star general spoke at Ripon College.
Flynn was the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency under President Obama from 2012 to 2014, but has been critical of Obama administration policies.
It was standing room only in Ripon’s Great Hall Monday. Hundreds turned out to hear Flynn speak.
“We’re facing a different type of threat. We’re facing different of challenges”
Flynn touched on some of the challenges facing the country’s national security including ISIS, Russia and North Korea. He said federal leaders need to focus on the long term.
“We’ve got to figure out what our strategy needs to be, what our, sort of grand strategy needs to be as we go forward into the rest of this century”
Flynn also talked about domestic issues. He said the presidential election shows Americans want less government control in their lives.
“It’s about individual rights and individual freedoms, the ability for individuals to make a conscious decision about what it is that you want to do as an individual”
College conservatives found a lot to like in Flynn’s speech. William Penterman, president of Young Americans for Freedom at Ripon College, spoke to WLUK.
“He talked about selfless service and how our nation’s leaders can’t be in the business of government for them. They need to do it, in their heart, to serve the people of this country”
Rose Hogmire, president of the Ripon College Democrats, said she wanted to hear from Flynn how the Trump administration plans to take-on cyber attacks.
“In the past two years there’s been so many issues that have been brought up in terms of the fact that our government isn’t really prepared, technologically, for a lot of cyber attacks”
Both sides did agree Flynn’s visit will be the start of many campus conversations.
Flynn demanded that news cameras be turned off during the question and answer period.
He answered three questions from the crowd. Flynn highlighted the need to work with Russia and not make a ‘new enemy’ in defeating ISIS and the need to ‘act carefully’ on the issue of Syria.
