'Scary': Journalist says there’s a 'real question' if media will stand up to Trump’s bullying

When President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20, journalists will likely be on high alert given his previous threats of vengeance against his critics in the media. And one journalist isn't sure if the Fourth Estate will be up to the task of reporting honestly on his administration.

During a Friday night interview on MSNBC, Vanity Fair special correspondent Molly Jong-Fast opined that the prospect of the president of the United States using the force of his office to hound reporters was a "scary" scenario. And she pointed out that the media industry in 2025 is far less equipped to resist him than it was in 2017.

"That's a real question," Jong-Fast told MSNBC guest host Jason Johnson in response to his question about whether Trump's threats could create a "chilling effect" on the press. "It's really sort of scary to think that that's the moment we're in right now."

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"In 2016 the American media was just much bigger. It had more money. It had more, you know, people and more -- you know, there was just a lot more of it," she continued. "Now it's much smaller. It's many fewer outlets, many fewer newspapers and magazines and it's a real question. and i think it's really worrying."

Should Trump succeed in having staunch loyalist Kash Patel be confirmed as his next FBI director, it's likely journalists could find themselves in the crosshairs of federal investigators. Patel said during a 2023 podcast interview that he planned to "go after the people in the media" if Trump won a second term and appointed him to an influential role. Jong-Fast told Johnson that the media's job of reporting accurately and honestly about those in power should be considered sacred enough for Americans to rally around.

"In my mind, the goal should be to always protect norms and institutions. And those would be the norms of the free press, which are extremely important to maintaining a healthy democracy," she said.

Watch the video of Jong-Fast's comments below, or by clicking this link.

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