Controversial right-wing pundit Ann Coulter comes to MIT
In a Dec. 7 talk, Coulter expressed strong opposition to immigration
On Thursday, Dec. 7, controversial conservative commentator and author Ann Coulter gave a talk titled “Dissolving Borders, Decriminalizing Crime, and Demonizing White Men: Unpacking the Liberal Agenda.” The event was organized by the MIT Open Discourse Society (MODS), which aims to promote free expression at MIT, and The Leadership Institute, a conservative nonprofit organization.
Over 70 people attended the event in Room 54-100. As the talk was open to the public, many of the audience members were not affiliated with MIT; some came from other universities, including Suffolk University and Dean College.
A lawyer by training, Coulter became well known in the late 90s for her criticism of the Clinton administration while working as a legal correspondent at MSNBC. Since then, Coulter has been a weekly columnist and author, writing conservative commentary on issues such as immigration and terrorism. Known for her provocative and confrontational speech, Coulter has been condemned for remarks that her critics allege target racial minorities.
Coulter was 20 minutes late to the MIT event due to logistical issues, according to MODS president Spencer Sindhusen ’27. Coulter’s prior talks at universities such as UC Berkeley or Cornell, her alma mater, have had significant pushback from students, resulting in major protests. At MIT, however, there were no protests before the event. Likewise, there were no interruptions or disruptions from the audience during the event.
Coulter began the talk by stating that the majority of Americans agree with Trump’s immigration policies. She cited findings from a 2025 New York Times/Ipsos poll that found that 55% of Americans support the deportation of all immigrants who entered illegally, and 87% support deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records. The poll surveyed 2,128 U.S. adults from Jan. 2 to Jan. 10. “87% is basically unanimous on that,” Coulter stated. “Try to call another country’s embassy someday and ask them, ‘I don’t have any money or skills, but I hear your country doesn’t get cold or [has] food. Would it be okay if I come there with my boyfriend and our six kids and live there if we can’t make it?”
Coulter then criticized the recent immigration of Afghan refugees to the U.S. She stated that the suspect who shot two National Guard members in D.C. on Nov. 26 was an Afghan national. Under the Biden administration, around 200,000 Afghans resettled in the U.S. after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021. Coulter condemned Biden’s decision to resettle Afghans, calling them a massive drain on social services and taxpayer money. Many Afghans cite language barriers and difficulties in having their credentials recognized when finding employment in the U.S.
After expressing discontent with the country’s immigration system for not taking the “crème de la crème” of individuals, Coulter criticized various immigration programs, including the diversity lottery and the family-sponsored immigration visa program. Referring to the H-1B visa program as “indentured servitude,” Coulter stated her belief that the program leads to “a net loss” for the average job applicant because of increased competition “against cheap foreign labor.” A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) report found that the median annual salary for an H-1B visa holder in the computer science field was $123,000 in 2022, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting a median of $100,000 for workers in the computer and information technology field in 2023.
Coulter’s remarks echo a presidential regime more openly hostile to immigration than at any other point in modern history. Recently, President Trump called Somali Americans “garbage” and stated his belief that they should be removed from the U.S. He also claimed that many Afghans are “criminals” in response to the National Guard shooting. Trump’s comments have led to significant backlash from various leaders and politicians across the country, who have characterized them as xenophobic and bigoted.
Following Coulter’s harsh critique of immigration, she turned to denouncing the country for “decriminalizing crime,” focusing on shoplifting in major cities and the 2020 George Floyd protests. She cited an FBI report stating that the national homicide rate increased by 30% in 2020 and blamed the increase in crime during the pandemic on the Geoge Floyd protests. However, analyses from the Council on Criminal Justice found that the homicide rate decreased over the last three years, with peak years being 2020 and 2021.
Continuing her discussion of race relations and “identity politics,” Coulter expressed vehement objections to the concepts of white fragility and white privilege. She stated that these ideas “demonize” white people. She then criticized the Democratic Party, stating that it was originally known as “the party of the white working class,” but asserted that it no longer was after Clinton’s presidency “crushed people working in manufacturing.” During his presidency, Clinton agreed to allow China to join the World Trade Organization in 2001, which elicited criticism from opponents because of concerns about the loss of manufacturing in the U.S.
Coulter’s discussion of the “demonization” of white people, the “poor working class” in particular, led her to raise what she called a “very uncomfortable” point regarding her views on white voters. She argued that “the only swing voters in the country are white voters,” specifically white men with no college education. She credited Trump’s win in 2016, loss in 2020, and second win in 2024 to voting shifts in the non-college-educated population of white men. In a 2016 ABC News/Washington Post poll, Trump had a 41-point lead for non-college-educated white men, and lost the most support from white men in 2020 according to an exit poll from Republican firm Fabrizio, Lee & Associates.
Although white people make up most of Trump’s voter base, minorities also shifted to the right during the 2024 election. Notably, double the proportion of Black men under the age of 45 voted for Trump in 2024 compared to 2020. Similarly, the percentage of Hispanics who voted for Trump increased in the past three election cycles, from 28% in 2016 to 48% in 2024, according to a Pew Research Center article.
Coulter maintained that the Republican Party should not focus on increasing votes from minorities like Black people and Asian people, but concentrate on increasing the white vote. She believes Republicans are “embarrassed” about securing white voters, stating that “[Republicans] seem very nervous that Democrats will call them racist, because so many white people are voting for them.”
Coulter concluded her speech by claiming that current American society is an “utter dystopia,” and that immigration and “wokeness” should be addressed significantly. She ended with a cynical and pessimistic outlook on the country’s future. “The more time we spend on identity politics, the less we’re doing the other things — it is just being dragged on [in] society,” Coulter said. “And in the new world, there will be a few really super rich people.”
After Coulter’s speech, the audience gave a round of applause. For the rest of the event, multiple attendees lined up to ask Coulter questions about her thoughts on the recent developments of the Republican Party, the Trump administration, and political issues such as birthright citizenship. Before asking their questions, a number of attendees thanked Coulter for taking the time to give a talk at MIT.
When the last person in line asked his question, however, audience members started to smell smoke, causing a few to leave early. The smell did not set off a fire alarm. Despite this, Coulter answered his question. The event ended shortly afterwards, as attendees quickly left the lecture hall. According to MIT spokesperson Sarah McDonnell, the MIT Police determined the cause of the smell to be the building’s heating system turning on, and not from a fire or safety concern.