Former NBC News political analyst Chuck Todd has admitted that the widespread effort by major media and tech platforms to deplatform President Donald Trump following the events of January 6 was not only a constitutional misstep but a strategic failure.
Speaking candidly during the latest episode of the podcast 13th & Park, Todd said the media’s actions backfired and only helped strengthen Trump’s influence.
“There’s no doubt Trump wants some revenge,” Todd said, referencing President Trump’s ongoing legal battles and long-standing criticism of the media and institutional elites.
“But let’s not beat around the bush. All these institutions did wanna cancel Trump, did want him inoperable in mainstream public.”
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Todd, who recently departed from his longtime role at NBC News, addressed the groupthink that dominated newsrooms and social media companies following January 6.
While he claimed not to have personally supported the widespread push to remove Trump from platforms like Twitter and Facebook, he criticized the overall direction taken by the industry.
“I did not follow the pied piper on this one,” Todd said, directly addressing the media’s collective effort to silence Trump.
“This is a democracy. This is a First Amendment [issue].”
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Todd noted that the decision to remove Trump from mainstream platforms didn’t have the effect many in the media hoped for.
Instead of ending his influence, the deplatforming gave rise to what he described as a powerful alternative media network led by Trump and his supporters.
“The decision to deplatform bit mainstream media in the ass,” Todd stated.
“Donald Trump started his own information ecosystem. How do you like them apples now?”
Todd went on to emphasize that constitutional protections are specifically designed to protect minority viewpoints, not merely the most popular ones.
“The whole point of the Constitution is to protect minority rights, not majority rights,” he said.
“You may not like that speech, but speech is speech.”
While Todd did not issue a formal apology for the media’s approach, he did appear to criticize the lack of introspection from legacy institutions that continue to see their influence wane.
“I sit here, it’s like, traditional media, ‘Oh, what’s happened?’” Todd said.
“You did try to deplatform him. It was a mistake. Somebody oughta come up and say, ‘This was a mistake.’”
🚨NEW: After leaving NBC News, Chuck Todd laments how media effort to “CANCEL TRUMP” completely backfired🚨
“All these institutions did want to cancel Trump, did want him inoperable in mainstream public.”
“I think the biggest mistake — and I did not follow the pied piper on… pic.twitter.com/wAwhaIe5VA
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) April 19, 2025
Todd’s remarks mark one of the most direct acknowledgments from a mainstream media figure that efforts to suppress Trump’s voice after January 6 may have done more harm than good—from both a constitutional and strategic standpoint.
The media blackout following January 6 saw Trump removed from multiple social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, and largely excluded from traditional cable news coverage.
In response, Trump launched his own media platform and expanded his reach across alternative outlets.
Today, many of those same legacy institutions continue to struggle with declining viewership and diminished public trust.
While some political commentators have long warned that silencing Trump would only amplify his voice elsewhere, Todd’s comments now add fuel to that argument from within the very institutions that once supported the move.
The episode serves as a notable moment of reflection for the media industry, though it remains to be seen whether it will lead to broader changes in how dissenting voices are handled in the future.
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