NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo delivered a remarkable mea culpa during a recent episode of “The Chris Cuomo Project” podcast, acknowledging what he described as significant failures in his journalism career spanning multiple administrations and major news events.
The podcast episode came in response to the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minnesota by Customs and Border Protection officers.
During the broadcast, Cuomo issued a series of apologies regarding his previous reporting on President Donald Trump, the COVID-19 pandemic and former President Joe Biden.
“We’ve been led so far afield. We’re so fucked up. We’re so twisted up. And you want to say, ‘Oh, Cuomo, it’s you.’ You know what? Fine. It’s me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Cuomo stated during the episode.
The television personality addressed his early coverage of Trump, admitting he should have taken a different approach.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t more aggressive about who and what Trump is and is capable of when this first all started. I’m sorry,” he said.
Cuomo also acknowledged shortcomings in his reporting during Trump’s first impeachment proceedings.
“Okay? I’m sorry that I didn’t push back more during the impeachment, when all the Russia and the dossier and everything was so flimsy and it was so obviously political. I’m sorry that I wasn’t more muscular in testing that. I’m sorry. I should have been,” he stated.
During Trump’s first term, Cuomo served as an anchor at CNN, where he frequently criticized the administration.
CNN terminated his employment on December 4, 2021.
His current NewsNation program launched nearly a year later on October 3, 2022.
The broadcaster extended his apologies to his pandemic coverage, expressing regret about his inability to challenge certain narratives as new information emerged.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t have a platform during the phase of the pandemic when we started to learn that a lot of our underlying assumptions were wrong and that the government had been wrong about things, whether it was the need for distancing, the need for anything, the need for vaccines, the money, any of it,” Cuomo said.
He continued his self-criticism by stating, “I’m sorry. I wish I could do it differently.”
Cuomo also directed criticism at his coverage of Democratic Party decisions regarding Biden’s candidacy.
“I wish I’d been more muscular with the brother and sister Democrats when they were thinking about riding the Biden train for a second term, when such a big part of why he got a term was because it was only going to be one and everybody knew he was at the end of his powers,” he stated.
He elaborated on this point, saying, “I should have been stronger about how they were fucking up this process and getting themselves into a position where they seemed like Trump was a less risky choice. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry — if that’s what you need to hear.”
Despite the extensive apologies, Cuomo pushed back against suggestions that he continues making the same journalistic errors.
“The idea that I’ve been repeating the same mistake is bullshit,” he declared.
The host concluded his reflection by expressing a general wish for better performance.
“I try. I wish, I wish I had done things differently. I wish,” he said.
This admission follows previous statements Cuomo made about his evolving approach to journalism.
During a July 17 discussion posted on his Substack platform, also named “The Chris Cuomo Project,” he outlined the philosophical shift that accompanied his move to NewsNation.
“My deal with NewsNation was: I am not a partisan — but I do hate them. And I want to bash the Democratic Party. And I want to bash the Republican Party because they are part of a system that is killing our democracy,” he explained at that time.
Cuomo attributed this change in perspective partly to his departure from CNN.
“And I didn’t say that at CNN because I didn’t feel it as deeply — and I was part of policing the system,” he stated.
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