From noon till 4 p.m. on Monday, October 21, YouTuber and comedian Alex Stein, Students for Trump cofounder Ryan Fournier, and right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer will visit Florida International University's main campus as panelists in "The Fight for America," a first-of-its-kind campus event. Alongside 19-year-old FIU freshman Jacob Giron, the trio plans to explore the intersection between faith and politics and the role young voters play in this year's election. The conversation will be recorded and aired on Giron's podcast, Leaders Talk.
Whether they manage to pull it off without incident remains to be seen, thanks to the headline-making controversies on each participant's résumé.
Stein, a self-proclaimed professional troll, jokingly catcalled U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on video in 2022 and was removed from the Republican National Convention earlier this summer for a prank gone wrong. He has a show on the far-right BlazeTV network, Prime Time With Alex Stein, and nearly 350,000 followers on YouTube. Fournier was charged with assaulting his girlfriend in November 2023. Loomer, who self-identifies as a proud Islamophobe, most recently garnered attention for her chummy behavior with Trump on the campaign trail this past summer.
Giron, an accounting major in his second semester, assures that he is well aware of his guests' infamy but asserts that the event is intended to "create an open dialogue that challeng[es] the status quo of keeping religion and politics out of everyday conversations." He managed to swing the high-profile lineup through his collaboration with ConservativeOG and connections from local leaders he has featured on his podcast, including Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis.
"I did want to do something, originally, where it was people from both sides, but it didn't work out," Giron tells New Times. "I know everything about [the speakers'] backgrounds. I knew what people were gonna say from both sides of the party — even people that were on the right side. I don't think anybody on either side has the perfect answer as to what is the fix for America, but these were the people I was able to get ahold of."
Despite Giron's professed attempts to create a bipartisan conversation open to students of all political leanings, some believe the event and its guests pose a threat to the university's student body.
In an October 16 thread on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the Miami Against Fascism account said the event promotes white nationalism, hate, and antisemitism. The thread proceeded to enumerate the right-wing ties and notable controversies attached to the host and participants and admonished community members to contact Jehnny Rivera, executive director of ceremonies and events at FIU's Office of the President to oppose the school's decision to rent out Graham Center auditorium for the event.
"I think FIU should be a little more selective on which political candidates are allowed to come on campus," College Democrats of FIU president Alejandro Paez tells New Times. The 21-year-old, a political science and international relations major, learned of the event via Miami Against Fascism's posts and was dismayed at its polarizing choice of speakers, specifically the sole female panelist.ALERT 🚨 Miami’s Florida International University @FIU will be hosting the “Fight for America” next week featuring racist far-right conspiracist Laura Loomer & hosted by a white supremacist Twitter account.
— Miami Against Fascism 🌴☕️ (@MIAagainstFash) October 16, 2024
Let’s dive in. Action items down thread. 1/🧵 pic.twitter.com/7P1pYQ2NFC
"I pick people who are from Miami or are local because they matter not only to the student body, but they'll be voted upon, so it's important for FIU students to hear them," he said on how his College Democrats of FIU goes about selecting speakers for its assemblies. "I don't know who needs to hear from Loomer or [Fournier and Stein]. I feel like there's a lot of people [Giron] could've gone to before arriving on Laura Loomer."
FIU officials have yet to respond to New Times' requests for comment or to confirm whether the Division of Academic and Student Affairs — which oversees Graham Center rentals — has received any complaints from the student body.
A document on the school's website asserts that expressive activities are permitted so long as conduct is lawful and does not materially or substantially disrupt university operations or infringe upon the rights of others. Another detailing terms and conditions states, "During community elections, a University group/department may sponsor a candidate/political event," as long as it isn't financed by university funds.
Though "The Fight for America" has caused a stir among university political organizations and a handful of concerned students, campus-wide chatter appears to be at an atypical low despite the headliners' shock value and the backdrop of the upcoming presidential election.
"My concern is that these figures are controversial, and I don't think [they are] a good example to set. It doesn't represent FIU in a good light," says Chelsea Rosario, 22, a multimedia production major who identifies as a leftist. She disagrees with the university's decision to rent out the auditorium for the event. "I'm afraid that it'll give the impression as if FIU tolerates that kind of hate speech and behavior."
Communications student Nicolas Osorio, 21, believes the organizers are within their rights to host the event on campus and is refraining from jumping to conclusions.
"It should be allowed because [of] freedom of speech. It's just a matter of how they address certain topics and how the host handles them. It's gonna be touchy subjects, but as long as the host maintains a balance, everyone should be able to speak freely," Osorio says. "FIU students should have the right to host whatever they want."
