News Host Reacts To Trump Host
CNN’s Dana Bash is drawing fresh criticism after selectively censoring a quote from Donald Trump during a live broadcast. The president’s Truth Social post called for Republicans to support his proposed rescissions bill, specifically urging the defunding of PBS and NPR, which he described as “worse than CNN & MSDNC put together.” Bash read most of the post on-air — but deliberately skipped over the part mentioning CNN and MSNBC, stating, “I’m not even going to read that.”
Let me say for the billionth time: Reporters don’t root for a side. Period. https://t.co/dhH8eherOR
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) October 16, 2016
The moment, broadcast on CNN’s “Inside Politics,” raises renewed questions about the network’s ability to report criticism impartially. The refusal to read a portion of a newsworthy quote, particularly one that directly references the network, undermines claims of journalistic objectivity.
After stopping herself from reading in its entirety Trump’s Truth Social post blasting PBS and NPR as biased (“I’m not even going to read that”), CNN’s Dana Bash insists “rural communities rely on public broadcasting still”
Such a backward view of rural America, viewing them… pic.twitter.com/VrCrdmCcqQ
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 15, 2025
Bash’s omission came during a discussion on public broadcasting and Republican efforts to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She also echoed concerns that removing federal support could hurt rural communities, a point amplified by Puck’s Abby Livingston. However, that argument has increasingly come under scrutiny. Critics argue that the idea rural areas are uniquely dependent on public broadcasting is outdated, particularly with the rise of mobile networks, satellite internet services like Starlink, and streaming alternatives.
SHE SAID WITHOUT EVIDENCE
“CNN’s Dana Bash insists ‘rural communities rely on public broadcasting still'” https://t.co/bkC9qrcNok
— L A R R Y (@LarryOConnor) July 16, 2025
Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) recently countered similar claims from NPR CEO Katherine Maher, pointing out the disconnect between public broadcasters’ messaging and the broader realities of media access in rural America. His critique reflects a growing Republican push to challenge longstanding federal subsidies for institutions perceived to lean left.
LOL that Bash the Basher stops reading Trump the minute she gets to “CNN and MSDNC”
“I’m not going to read anything critical of CNN on CNN!” https://t.co/a8jIvmWmz7
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) July 16, 2025
Livingston also admitted a political calculation behind the messaging, stating that Democrats hope to “lose less badly” by framing GOP budget cuts as harmful to voters. The remark, though brief, underscored a frequent criticism of Democratic media strategies — that the narrative often takes precedence over the facts.