MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace expressed concern that press freedoms could be imperiled if Donald Trump wins reelection in November.
At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which celebrates the free press, Wallace noted the event may not happen next year depending on the election outcome.
She argued Trump does not respect norms and could eliminate the White House press corps and free press altogether if victorious.
Wallace said, “The annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner is one of the symptoms, one of the signs of a healthy, functioning democracy.”
Wallace warned that while democracy won’t immediately collapse without those institutions, the larger threat from a candidate openly disdaining freedoms and rule of law grows if Trump returns to office.
She implied the 2024 election poses serious risks for American democracy and free expression.
She added, “It’s a coming together and, at its core, the president doing everything right celebrates and honors the free press. Behind the levity, though, there was something darker, a darker undercurrent, if you will, and a point that the president had to make. And it was more profoundly serious. Because at this exact time next year, depending on what happens in November, seven months from now, we can’t say for certain that there would even be a White House Correspondents’ Dinner or even a free press or even a White House press corps. Right? You don’t have to have one. Could be another norm Trump blows up.”
Wallace said, “Depending what happens in November, seven months from right now, this time next year, I might not be sitting here. There might not be a White House Correspondents’ Dinner or free press. And while our democracy won’t exactly fall apart immediately without it, the real threat looms larger. A candidate with outward disdain not just for a free press, but for all of our freedoms and for the rule of law itself.”
