In a move that surely shouldn’t surprise anyone in the current media landscape, “60 Minutes” anchor Scott Pelley used his commencement speech at Wake Forest University to take thinly veiled swipes at President Donald Trump. What should be a speech meant to inspire graduates, Pelley instead chose to stoke division and fuel anti-Trump sentiment.
Pelley used his speech to warn the university’s recent graduates that “insidious fear” has infiltrated schools, businesses, and homes, leaving America in a state of “peril.” He claimed that, under Trump, the rule of law, journalism, freedom of speech, universities, and even our private thoughts are under attack.
He also said that when those in power, pointing to Trump and other Republicans, control the narrative and can distort reality, rewriting history, redefining language, and flipping moral judgments. Pelley argued that values such as diversity, equity, and inclusion are being unfairly vilified, framing this as part of a long-standing tactic used to manipulate public perception.
More from his speech:
Why attack universities? Why attack journalism? Because ignorance works for power. First, make the truth seekers live in fear, sue the journalists and their companies for nothing. Then, send masked agents to abduct a college student who wrote an editorial in her college paper defending Palestinian rights and send her to a prison in Louisiana charged with nothing. Then move to destroy the law firms that stand up for the rights of others.
The fear to speak in America. If our government is, in Lincoln’s phrase ‘of the people, by the people, for the people,’ then why are we afraid to speak? Ignorance works for power. Power can change the definition of the words we used to describe reality. This is an old playbook, my friends. There is nothing new in this.
Pelley’s speech was met with distaste, ripping him as a “fraud” and a “liar” for his anti-Trump commencement speech.
“TDS [Trump Derangement Syndrome] hits narcissists especially hard,” comedian Adam Carolla wrote on X.
Moms For Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice recalled an interview she did with Pelley, who put his glasses between his lips while she read porn from public school library books to him.
“I read porn from public school library books to @ScottPelley, who listened with his glasses tucked between his lips. He edited out that part of the @60Minutes interview to make our concerns seem unfounded. Scott is a liar and a fraud,” she wrote on X.
Others wrote that his “credibility is zero,” calling him a “pompous POS.”
In contrast, President Trump used his West Point commencement speech to praise the graduates, calling them “winners” and highlighting their strength, honor, and commitment to standing firm against globalist agendas. Rather than attacking political opponents, Trump focused on themes of national defense and defeating America’s enemies, stating that his “preference will always be to make peace and seek partnership.”
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