Kathleen Parker, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post, shared her opinions regarding the upcoming presidential election at the annual Baird Pulitzer Lecture at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4 in McCrary Theatre.
Parker did not hesitate to express her passionate dislike for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, openly inviting Trump supporters to depart before beginning the bulk of her lecture.
Parker stated that she felt, “a moral imperative” to prevent the election of Trump.
“He is, to me, a dangerous person, primarily because the man has no self-control," she said. “I’ve never known anyone [else] who was intentionally cruel."
“Trump isn’t politically incorrect — he’s just incorrect.”
She called into question the judgement of Trump’s supporters, particularly female Trump supporters.
“I know [Trump’s] type. Women are objects to him,” she said. “He likes to own women. He likes to control women. Women can get under his skin so easily — he can’t stand it. It takes a real man to understand that women are perfect.”
As to why some women continue to support Trump, Parker said, “There’s a simple answer: People are crazy.”
“I would not vote for someone … [solely] because they are a woman,” Parker said, the Democratic presidential candidate and Trump's primary opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "I’ve liked her style for a very long time — her ability to stay calm."
She praised Clinton's knowledge and experience in comparison to her opponent, and said she believed Clinton’s election would have positive outcomes.
“I think Hillary Clinton would be a transformational president for the world,” Parker said. “[She could prove] there is a place for women on the global stage.
Parker expressed that she had not originally planned to address the campaign Tuesday night. She told the audience that she was previously prepared to discuss the freedom of speech but changed her mind this morning, because she thought the majority of her audience would be more engaged in a discussion about the election.
Prior to her lecture, there was a question as to whether Parker would speak after almost 300 Elon students, faculty, community members and alumni signed a petition asking Elon's administration to withdraw their invitation.
She praised Elon administration’s decision to allow her speak despite student protests. She thanked the school for their encouragement of freedom of speech.
“We learn when we’re uncomfortable,” Parker said.
This petition was created in response to a number of ideas expressed in Parker’s book, “Save the Males: Why Men Matter, Why Women Should Care,” which students argued promoted rape victim-blaming.
In response, Parker said, “I’ve always wanted to be dangerous, but I have never wanted to be offensive — not intentionally, anyway.”
Parker said that, given a second chance, she would not write the same book today.
Her widely syndicated column is published twice-weekly in The Washington Post and included in more than 450 newspapers nationwide.
Parker is a regular guest on Fox News’ “Media Buzz,” NBC’s “Meet the Press” and MSNBC’s “Hardball.” She has previously written for "Time," "Town & Country" and "The Weekly Standard" magazines.