12/12/19
Fox News anchor Chris Wallace called out President Donald Trump’s attacks on the press in a speech at the Newseum in Washington D.C. Friday night. “I believe President Trump is engaged in the most direct, sustained assault on freedom of the press in our history,” Wallace said, speaking at an event honoring the First Amendment. Wallace argued in his speech that “the president’s attacks have done some damage.” “A Freedom Forum Institute poll this year found 29 percent of Americans think the First Amendment goes ‘too far.’ And 77 percent say ‘fake news’ is a serious threat to our democracy,” Wallace said, before touting the “essential truths” of journalism. “Ours is a great profession — maybe the best way to make a living anyone ever came up with. Think of it. We are paid to tell the truth—to cut through all the spin—all the distractions — and tell the American people what is really going on,” he said, citing his reporting exploits, from spending a week with Mother Teresa in Calcutta to challenging Vladimir Putin on the killing of dissidents in Russia.
Wallace also made reference to Trump’s most recent attack on him, which came after the Fox News anchor had a tough interview with Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA). “Sure, we take our share of incoming. A couple of weeks ago, President Trump tweeted after one of my interviews: ‘Steve Scalise blew away the nasty and obnoxious Chris Wallace.’ Afterwards, one of my sons said, ‘Nasty? No. Obnoxious? Well.'” “The bottom line is we’ve seen Presidents come and go,” Wallace said. “We will endure. So will Freedom of the Press. And I am confident — so will the Newseum.”
