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   From: xeton2001@yahoo.com   
      
   City and school officials have revised their figures over the past 24 hours   
   on the number of students who saw President Donald Trump speak Friday at a   
   historically black college.   
      
   On Friday, Columbia, South Carolina, Mayor Stephen Benjamin told CNN's Sarah   
   Westwood that out of more than 200 invitees to the President's speech, only   
   about 10 were actual students from the college. Benedict College spokeswoman   
   Kymm Hunter told reporters on Friday that only seven students ultimately   
   attended the speech.   
   Appearing on CNN's "Newsroom" on Saturday afternoon, Benjamin told CNN's   
   Fredricka Whitfield that there were "about 33 students there." On Saturday,   
   school officials told Westwood and CNN's Caroline Kenny that "32 or 33"   
   students were in attendance at the speech. The mayor, on Saturday, told CNN   
   that the school put out an updated figure later on Friday. He also told CNN   
   in two separate interviews on Saturday that 10 students were initially   
   invited, but 33 were allowed in.   
   Ceeon Smith, the chief of staff at Benedict, told CNN the discrepancy came   
   from the students in attendance that were scholars of a certain program and   
   who had attended the event with a trustee of the college. Smith said "32 or   
   33" students attended the session with the President.   
   The new figure is still a small fraction of the more than 2,100 students who   
   attend the school.   
   "This should have been an opportunity for at least scores of students to   
   attend this event," Benjamin told CNN on Friday. He said the president of the   
   college requested more students be able to attend, but that the White House   
   maintained control of organizing the event.   
   Trump's visit Friday to the HBCU came amid the fallout over his decision this   
   week to compare the impeachment proceedings on Capitol Hill to a   
   "lynching" -- words for which he declined to apologize as he prepared to   
   leave the White House for the journey to South Carolina.   
   The President's language created a divisive backdrop for his rare appearance   
   at the historically black college, where he was slated to highlight his   
   administration's work on criminal justice reform. Although Trump did speak   
   extensively about the criminal justice reform bill he signed into law in   
   April, he also found a way to mention impeachment twice, demonstrating that   
   the political turmoil engulfing his administration is never far from his   
   mind.   
   Describing his "own experience" with unfair treatment, Trump said he is now   
   facing "an investigation in search of a crime."   
   "If this were a Democrat, they would never allow this to happen," he said.   
   Dozens of protesters gathered outside the venue as Trump's motorcade pulled   
   into the college Friday afternoon.   
   The head of the South Carolina NAACP released a statement ahead of the visit   
   condemning Trump's words and encouraging skepticism, underscoring the divides   
   within the community around Benedict over inviting Trump to speak.   
   The college referred questions to the White House and to the 2020 Bipartisan   
   Justice Center, the group organizing the broader event at which Trump spoke.   
   The White House declined to comment. The organizing group did not immediately   
   respond to a request for comment.   
      
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