MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace revealed that she made a decision to stop airing White House press briefings during President Donald Trump's first term, stating that doing so was too damaging to her. Wallace, who hosts "Deadline: White House," shared this decision during a recent podcast interview.
Wallace explained that she refused to broadcast press conferences held by then-Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders because she felt the information presented was untruthful. "I stopped carrying Sarah Huckabee Sanders briefings, just refused to carry him because having worked there, it like actually hurt me to watch her lying," Wallace said on the podcast "The Best People" with former CNN host Jim Acosta. She clarified that while administrations often aim to present their leaders in the best possible light, the briefings contained what she perceived as falsehoods, particularly concerning immigration.
Wallace, who previously served as a White House communications director under President George W. Bush, has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump. In August 2018, during an episode of her show, she reacted strongly to a clip of Sanders responding to Trump supporters heckling Acosta. At the time, Sanders had stated, "While we certainly support freedom of the press, we also support freedom of speech, and we think that those things go hand in hand." Wallace's response was reportedly intense, stating, "You know, we're not going to air that anymore. Let's make that the last Sarah Huckabee Sanders clip ever aired at four o’clock. Yup, that’s it. You know, it makes me sweat. That is vile."
Sarah Huckabee Sanders served as Trump's press secretary for nearly two years, becoming the longest-serving press secretary of his first administration. She has since become the governor of Arkansas. MSNBC, now MS NOW, launched its "Deadline: White House" program in 2017, the same year Sanders assumed her role as press secretary. MS NOW did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.