Cornell Republicans will be hosting Newt Gingrich (R-G.A.) — former Speaker of the House and former presidential candidate — in Call Auditorium on March 22.
Gingrich entered Congress in 1978 as the representative of Georgia’s 6th congressional district and has remained active in politics ever since. Recently, Gingrich was one of the most prominent figures in President Trump’s campaign in 2016 and is now expected to take an even more active role in the GOP-dominated Congress.
During the talk, Gingrich will address on his role in the recent presidential election and share his perspectives on the future of the GOP.
Olivia Corn ’19, chair of Cornell Republicans, said Gingrich was the best candidate to explain the confusion surrounding Trump’s presidency to the “liberal Cornell” community.
“We chose Newt Gingrich because we thought he’d be a really good person to come talk to the Cornell community about everything that’s happened with Donald Trump’s election,” Corn said. “We’ve been trying to explain [the confusion] to a lot of the community, so I think it’ll be very helpful to bring somebody who has worked closely with Donald Trump and somebody who’s going to work very closely with the GOP in the near future.”
In response to the active protest during their last speaker, Rick Santorum, the Cornell Republicans has coordinated with Cornell Police to ensure Gingrich’s safety, according to Corn.
“We are expecting a lot of protest,” Corn said. “That’s something we have prepared for and has worked with Cornell Police on, but hopefully it’ll be a respectful event and people won’t shout over the speaker like they did last time.”
The talk will be limited to 600 Cornell students on a first-come-first-serve basis. Students must show their ID before they can enter the auditorium.