The NYU College Republicans welcomed Fox News’ “Outnumbered” co-host Jedediah Bila on Nov. 20 to discuss the Republican Party’s issues with reaching out to younger, more diverse voters.

Focusing on the GOP’s weak messaging campaigns and communication strategies, Bila suggested ways in which Republicans could rebrand themselves before the next presidential election.

Bila spoke about her experiences of being outnumbered by liberals in New York City. The Fox News host suggested that in order to alleviate right-wing stereotypes, the Republican Party needs to improve its outreach.

“GOP messaging is a disaster,” Bila said. “You can’t survive in the media industry which leans really far left without having young charismatic people to carry your message.”

Bila admitted she herself does not know what the GOP exactly stands for and considers herself a Libertarian Conservative rather than a Republican. Arguing that the GOP has too much division among its members, Bila said conservatives need more unity when it comes to social and economic issues.

Bila said more amicable candidates with better rhetoric will leverage the party’s stance on critical social issues.

“My advice for Republicans is you can talk about the pro-life issue and make that a winning issue,” Bila said. “You can be pro-life, but don’t marginalize people. You have to empathize with them. They need to handle this situation better.”

President of the NYU College Republicans John Catsimatidis, a Stern senior, agreed with Bila’s suggestions for the GOP.

“I think she’s absolutely right,” Catsimatidis said. “I think there’s this false impression of Republicans, especially on campus amongst young people.”

Catsimatidis said it is on the Republicans to improve their communication methods and break down GOP stereotypes, especially when it comes to younger voters.

“People here are juggling classes and everyone has internships,” Catsimatidis said. “When you go on your Facebook, you see things that you like, but you never hear the other sides’ opinion, so I can’t blame someone for having this impression.”

Steinhardt sophomore Anthony Sganga also agreed with Bila’s suggestions about improving the Republican message, arguing that the right needs younger candidates talking about GOP issues and connecting with college students across the country.

“It’s a huge issue,” Sganga said. “The establishment really doesn’t get what this generation relates to, so I definitely think that if the party brands themselves in a way that reaches more supporters, we’ll have a more successful future.”

Daniel Boudiab, a GSAS graduate student, said Bila spoke too much about the GOP’s appearance and not enough regarding its economic policies for the nation.

“All she seemed to care about was that it was all about messaging and appearing cool, and that’s obviously not everything,” Boudiab said. “For the economy to get back on track, we’re going to have to make very painful changes that will be felt by the poor and the rich.”

Boudiab said concentrating mainly on messaging will mislead voters in the next election, arguing that any candidate willing to run a clean campaign must focus on leveling with the American people about what should be done.

“If being popular comes at the expense of being honest with the people, I don’t think we should be going down that path,” Boudiab said. “We need less grandpas running our campaigns in the Republican Party and more people like us who are more in tune with mainstream society.”

Email Stephanie Grella at [email protected].