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Runaway Country with Alex Wagner

The President and The Press

Runaway Country with Alex Wagner

Runaway Country with Alex Wagner

Politics, News, Government, Society & Culture

4.813.2K Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2026

⏱️ 80 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, the President AND the press came under attack. After an attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner, the Trump administration was quick to blame the media and threaten ABC over a joke that hurt their feelings. On this episode, Alex speaks to Brian Stelter, CNN’s Chief Media Analyst, about the chaos in the Washington Hilton and the FCC’s unprecedented threats against networks. Then Alex speaks to Simon Ostrovsky, a special correspondent for PBS NewsHour, who recounts his harrowing capture in Ukraine in 2014 while reporting and talks about the need for the press to push back against Trump’s insults. Finally, Alex is joined by Clayton Weimers, Executive Director of Reporters Without Borders, USA, to talk through the release of the World Press Freedom Index which shows that journalism is under threat globally.

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:26.8

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0:30.5

Hi everyone. It has been another runaway week.

0:33.9

On Saturday night, a gunman stormed the White House correspondence dinner, allegedly attempting to assassinate President Trump and his cabinet.

0:41.2

It is the third attempt on the president's life.

0:44.3

The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Allen, wrote in a manifesto that administration officials were, quote, the primary targets, prioritized from highest ranking to lowest.

0:55.3

Alan went on to write, I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets

0:59.9

if it were absolutely necessary. Over 2,000 journalists attended the event.

1:05.9

The first correspondence dinner that America's roast-averse leader has attended in his nearly six years leading the country.

1:13.4

But before Trump could even speak, people were scrambling to hide under their tables as shots rang out.

1:23.7

After the attempted shooting for a few hours on Saturday night, there was a truce between the president and his press corps.

1:30.3

And then Sunday came.

1:31.8

In an interview for 60 minutes, CBS's Nora O'Donnell asked the president some questions he apparently really did not like.

1:39.0

He also wrote this.

1:40.6

I'm no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.

1:46.7

What's your reaction to that?

1:47.8

Well, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would, because you're horrible people, horrible people.

1:54.0

You should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I'm not any of those things.

1:58.5

Mr. President, these are the gunman's words.

2:00.5

Excuse me. You shouldn't be reading that on 60 minutes.

2:04.4

You're a disgrace.

...

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