Ali Velshi chose his final episode of "Velshi" to deliver an impassioned address on the freedom of the press and to directly confront President Donald Trump. Velshi, who is moving to a nighttime slot on MSNBC, recounted how he was recently removed by police from covering a protest at an ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey.
Velshi's Account of Being Removed
"I was just moved, removed from an unfolding news event in the United States of America so that what was happening there could happen without a journalist watching," Velshi said. "I was uninjured this time. But democracy, fairness, transparency and accountability took yet another hit. This is how it unfolds. Not always with legislation, not always with imprisonment, sometimes with a rubber bullet, sometimes with a police escort, sometimes with a president who calls the press the enemy of the people. Not once, not as a rhetorical flourish, but as a governing philosophy repeated until enough people believe it and they believe that the next step becomes possible."
The Press as Guardian of Democracy
"The press is not the enemy of the people," he continued. "The press is the people's guarantee that they will know what is done in their name. Some of the institutions that taught this country what bearing witness looks like are right now under pressure from, or perhaps in bed with, this administration."
Velshi highlighted the situation at CBS News, once home to legendary journalist Walter Cronkite, who told Americans the truth about the Vietnam War. He contrasted that legacy with CBS's $16 million settlement with Trump over a lawsuit and the network's apparent capitulation to the president as major changes unfold at "60 Minutes," amid concerns it is losing its journalistic independence.
The Importance of Bearing Witness
Velshi emphasized the critical role of everyday citizens in bearing witness to injustice, citing individuals like Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who paid with their lives. Trump and his loyalists have portrayed them as villains.
The "Velshi" host, who will replace colleague Stephanie Ruhle on "The 11th Hour" weeknights starting June 15 while she moves to mornings, became emotional at times.
Velshi's Personal Journey
He briefly shared his personal story of being born in Kenya, growing up in Canada, and coming to America as an adult. "I chose this country not out of sentiment, not out of necessity, but because of what I believed it was capable of," he said. "I've reported from countries where the press is silent, where elections are theater, where asking the wrong question can cost you your freedom."
"I've seen up close what the absence of this great experiment looks like," he added. "I chose America. I still choose it because of what was built here. A nation founded not on blood or soil or a single faith, but on an idea and an argument and a set of rules generous enough on its best days to hold all of us. I choose it, I choose you, and I'm standing here in the studio as this program comes to an end, asking you who were born to it, who inherited it, or who, like me, chose it, to choose it again."
