Salisbury University announced Friday that it would postpone a campus speaking event by Jared Taylor, a prominent white nationalist, saying a surge in anticipated attendance and counterprotests have led to a dramatic increase in security needs.

The talk by Jared Taylor, titled “Can the American Race Problem Be Solved?” and originally scheduled for Monday, now “requires additional planning and public safety resources that the university is unable to provide on such short notice,” according to a statement shared by university spokesperson Jason Rhodes.

University leaders said they do not “endorse, sponsor or support the views” of Taylor or the event organizers, an outside group that rented the space on campus.

In response to the postponement, Colin McEvers, a Salisbury student who was slated to host the event, said it would be rescheduled for early April at the school.

“I will not be deterred by any politicians, by any students, by anyone who wishes to suppress free speech & open dialogue, especially on a topic as important as white advocacy in the state of Maryland,” he said.

The incident comes as the Trump administration and conservatives accuse universities of liberal bias, and after a recent survey found that students are leery of controversial speakers on campus, a concern for free speech advocates.

. Taylor, who some call the “godfather of the alt-right,” is the founder of the white nationalist magazine American Renaissance. The event organizer said the talk is an effort to push against the boundaries of free speech.

Taylor, an outspoken eugenicist, is a “well-known figure in the white supremacist landscape,” said Amy Cooter, co-founder and deputy director of the Institute for Countering Digital Extremism.

Conservative speakers have used college tours for decades, but they gained popularity after 2016, she said.

“They view it as a legitimate opportunity to get their views out there, to bolster certain conservative points,” Cooter said.

Taylor, who could not be reached for comment, was an early mentor to white nationalist figure Nick Fuentes. Taylor founded the white nationalist New Century Foundation and previously published American Renaissance, a white nationalist magazine.

“Blacks and whites are different,” reads a 2005 issue, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. “When blacks are left entirely to their own devices, Western civilization — any kind of civilization — disappears.”

Before the postponement, McEvers, chair of the Maryland Federation of College Republicans, said in a statement that he does not agree with all of Taylor’s views but invited the activist to speak in order to promote free speech and open dialogue on campus. Students at the event would be allowed to ask Taylor questions.

“People are scared of controversial topics, like white advocacy, and so they seek to suppress discussion around these topics by using buzzwords, which include ‘racist,’ ‘white supremacist,’ ‘fascist’ and so on,” McEvers wrote.

He added that “the most important right we have as Americans is freedom of expression,” but “leftist cancel culture” has “suppressed truly open dialogue” for years.

In its statement, the university said the Maryland Federation of College Republicans is not a Salisbury organization, and the group, an outside entity, rented the space on campus.

“SU does not discriminate against activities hosted by third-party organizations meeting the financial and legal requirements for reserving campus space; however, the safety and security of the University community remains our highest priority,” the statement reads.

A study of 70,000 college students surveyed last fall by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression found that a majority opposed allowing speakers with controversial viewpoints from across the political spectrum to speak on campus.

“This will only harm students’ ability to think critically and create rifts between them,” said Greg Lukianoff, the chief executive and president of FIRE. “We must champion free speech on campus as a remedy to our culture’s deep polarization.”

Though the event is being held by a statewide Republican group, not all in the party are pleased.

The Maryland Republican Party was not involved in organizing the event, according to a statement released Thursday by the party’s chairwoman, Nicole Beus Harris.

“There is no place for racism in our party,” she wrote in the statement. “We unequivocally condemn the advertised event and the speaker’s despicable views.”

Last spring, Project 2025 co-author Kevin Roberts made headlines when he spoke at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in Baltimore. Roberts’ talk was also initially postponed, but took place a few weeks later.

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