Chuck Todd Skips Trump Events, Citing Safety Concerns
chuck todd said he is not going to any more events where Donald Trump is present because he does not feel safe. In a recent conversation with Chris Cillizza, the former Meet the Press host said, "I'm not going to any more events where Trump is at them, I don't feel safe."
Chris Cillizza Clip
Todd tied the decision to what he described as chaos around Trump, saying, "Chaos follows him." He also said people become less safe if they go into Trump's orbit and added that Trump does not care about people's safety.
He went further, saying Trump is more likely to throw people under the bus and that he would be most likely to have people be the target of Iranian assassins if they are John Bolton or Mike Pompeo. Todd also said Trump is gonna pull any sort of federal support.
Jan Crawford Response
Jan Crawford, CBS News chief legal correspondent, pushed back on Monday night in a quote-tweet of the clip Chris Cillizza shared. She wrote, "This is not only wrong but stupid," and said, "We actually were in a safe space at WHCD. We were in a completely secure ballroom protected by layers of secret service."
Crawford added, "Most people don’t get that protection from mentally disturbed assailants," and said she and one of her daughters had discussed how anyone can walk into a wedding or concert or mall and start shooting. Her response directly challenged Todd's framing of the White House Correspondents' Dinner as an unsafe setting.
WHCD Ballroom
The exchange landed against Saturday's attack, which the article says was the third high-profile attempt on Donald Trump's life since July 2024. The article also says the alleged shooter at the correspondents' dinner wrote a manifesto that included rules of engagement.
Todd said he did not hear from Trump when somebody targeted him and other members of the press using Trump's words and actions. Crawford's account leaves the dispute centered on whether the protection at WHCD changes how reporters should judge their own exposure at Trump-related events.
