David Letterman's Resurfaced Warning About The Future Of The Media Under 'Authoritarian' Trump Is Eerily Accurate

A resurfaced clip of former late-night host David Letterman has gone viral for a prescient warning he gave to the media about the perils of being a "suck up" to an "authoritarian regime" like the Trump administration.

Letterman originally made those remarks during an appearance last year at The Atlantic Festival. He criticized the Trump administration and cautioned media outlets while reflecting on the administration's efforts to silence Letterman's fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert.

Letterman also called out Larry Ellison, who holds the controlling stake in Paramount Skydance, which is managed by his son David Ellison. Paramount continues to face heavy criticism for aiding and abetting the Trump administration's efforts to gut news media through the takeovers of CBS News and 60 Minutes by conservative loyalists.

Letterman said:

"In the world of somebody who is an authoritarian, maybe a dictatorship, sooner or later everyone is going to be touched. But this is me. For 30 years, I did this for a living."

"So I see this happen—they took care of Colbert, that was rude, that was inexcusable. The man deserves a great deal of credit."

"He's in the Hall of Fame nine times and to be manipulated like that because the Ellison family didn't want to trouble Donald Trump with this move so they got rid of him, not only got rid of him, got rid of the whole franchise."

"You're not going to have to worry about anything, Larry. It's all gone. That's fine. Good night."

"And then my good friend Jimmy Kimmel ... I feel bad about this because we all see where this is going, correct? It's managed media, and it's no good. It's silly. It's ridiculous."

"And you can't go around firing somebody because you're fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian—a criminal administration in the Oval Office. That's just not how this works."

Footage of Letterman's remarks went viral after they were resurfaced by Robert Reich, the former Secretary of Labor and longtime left-wing activist. Reich commented that Letterman's warning "feels sadly too relevant today."

He added of Letterman:

"He's right. You can't appease a tyrant."

You can see Reich's post and hear what Letterman said in the video below.

Letterman's remarks are particularly striking considering they've resurfaced following Trump's decision to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, citing what he characterized as unfavorable and false coverage.

The five networks that rotate responsibility for the White House television pool—CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC and CBS—subsequently agreed not to provide pooled video coverage of the president while CNN remained excluded.

In a joint statement, the networks said "the public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government," adding that "no administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”

The Trump administration has responded to this by launching Trump TV, an anchorless YouTube news channel the White House said would feature “top past moments, announcements, and the latest and greatest from the administration all in one place."

Letterman's words have struck a chord.

Letterman's full speech is available below.

- YouTubeyoutu.be