This post was written by Hatchet reporter Sam Rosin.
Controversial Breitbart editor and political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos joined by Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alexander Marlow spoke to a crowd of about 200 people at the Elliott School of International Affairs Friday.
GW College Republicans organized the event, which was Yiannopoulos’ latest stop on the “Dangerous Faggot Tour” – his national speaking tour on college campuses.
Yiannopoulos and Marlow – both avid Donald Trump supporters – discussed the upcoming U.S. presidential election and their opposition to political correctness.
GW broke from multiple peer institutions by allowing Yiannopoulos to speak, in fear of protests that could become violent: New York, Miami and Villanova universities barred Yiannopoulos from fulfilling planned speaking engagements due to security and safety concerns.
Security concerns Friday forced the College Republicans to truncate the speech by one hour and to only admit GW students. Ticket holders were not notified of the agenda change until hours before the event, and anyone who arrived late was barred from entering by the University Police Department.
Will Haislmaier, a D.C. resident, said he bought tickets to see Yiannopoulos ahead of the deadline but was not permitted to enter the event.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Milo, and when I saw the event, I hopped right on his website, bought tickets and I received an email receipt,” Haislmaier said. “I left work early today to come see him, and only after looking at his personal website did I see the time change. I got here, and at about 4:30 they said, ‘If you’re not a GW student, shove off.’”
Yiannopoulos usually gives speeches, but the format with Marlow was more of a conversation. Yiannopoulos asked Marlow questions about electoral politics, “politically correct culture” and left-wing media bias.
The two declared Trump the victor of Wednesday’s presidential debate, and said they are not concerned with Trump’s dip in polling numbers. Marlow encouraged Trump supporters in the audience to “keep faith” as the election nears.
“If you look at the logic from Brexit, Trump’s ahead. If you look at the 2014 Congressional election, Trump’s ahead,” Marlow said. “If you look at the university polls, Trump’s getting his ass kicked. But for all you Trump supporters, there’s simply no reason to believe the mainstream media hype at this point.
The speakers attacked the Republican establishment for failing to adequately support the nominee. Yiannopoulos criticized members of the “Never Trump” movement, and Marlow said Republicans not supporting Trump are “grabbing onto their ankles in defeat.”
Yiannopoulos asked Marlow if he believes, as Trump claims, the 2016 election will be rigged in Hillary Clinton’s favor. Marlow said that he believes mainstream media outlets are responsible for unfairly tipping the scales in Clinton’s favor, not that votes are being stolen, as many think Trump has implied.
“When Trump says the word rigged, he always follows it up with conversation about the media,” Marlow said. “Mainstream outlets are so busy covering negative things Donald Trump says on a hot mic 11 years ago that they completely overlook the things Hillary does and says.”
Yiannopoulos addressed his recent ban from Twitter, following a series of targeted, racially charged attacks on actress and comedian Leslie Jones.
“If you say anything about a black woman on Twitter, you’re really f—ed,” Yiannopoulos said.
Following the talk, six audience members asked the pundits questions about left-wing conspiracies, “fat-loving liberals” and Donald Trump’s controversial comments from 2005 that the Washington Post released earlier this month.
Christian Miller, the director of political affairs for the College Republicans, helped organize the event. Miller said that although he played a role in bringing the speakers to campus, he disagrees with Yiannopoulos on some issues.
“I think he’s entertaining,” Miller said. “But personally, I’ve always thought there’s a point behind some degree of political correctness, and that that concept is worth pursuing. And while Yiannopoulos has strong view on this issue, he’s kind of a one issue pundit.”
Bray McDonnell, a member of the College Republicans, said that Yiannopoulos and Marlow bring important perspectives to discussions about political correctness.
“I strongly disagree with Milo and Marlow on many issues,” McDonnell said. “But they seem to understand the importance of free speech.”
