On the July 26 episode of Charlie Rose’s podcast, former MSNBC host Chris Matthews seemed to think President Donald Trump was a one-man FCC, roaming the country canceling TV shows with a glare and a golf swing.
Matthews floated the idea, without offering proof, that Trump had cowed television networks into submission, supposedly canceling news segments and late-night shows out of sheer intimidation, even referring to the President as a “bully.”
In his telling, networks weren’t making editorial choices so much as succumbing to psychic intimidation. “Fear and weakness,” Matthews declared. “Fear—fear of God, fear of Trump. It’s just fear.”
Soon after, the conversation shifted to the George Stephanopoulos and 60 Minutes law suit sagas. Rose asked whether those cases were “related,” and Matthews simply replied: “A lot of people think so.” He didn’t specify who those people might be, but the stock answer remained the same: “Fear of Trump.”