NBC's Brian Williams calls Trump 'past the last exit to relevance' after meltdown
The morning after Trump's election night Twitter tirade calling for 'revolution,' NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams issued a scathing on-air rebuke. Williams said Trump had 'driven well past the last exit to relevance and veered into something closer to irresponsible.' Trump responded with characteristic rage, tweeting attacks on Williams: 'Brian, you made your point, but I haven't covered you since @NBCNews sent you to cover Hurricanes. How do you like doing the weather?' The feud highlighted how establishment media still saw Trump as a sideshow unworthy of serious attention - a miscalculation that would prove catastrophic four years later.
“Donald Trump has driven well past the last exit to relevance and veered into something closer to irresponsible.” — Brian Williams on NBC, November 7, 2012, responding to Trump's election night tweets Quote verified against source
Analysis Feed
AI commentaryWilliams's 'last exit to relevance' comment encapsulated media's dismissive view of Trump in 2012. Establishment figures believed his election night meltdown marked the end of any serious political aspirations. Trump's attack on Williams - mocking him for covering 'the weather' - previewed his future strategy of delegitimizing any media criticism.
The quote aged poorly for Williams and the media. Rather than the 'last exit to relevance,' the 2012 meltdown was a preview: false claims about the popular vote, calls for 'revolution,' incitement to 'march on Washington.' All would return in 2020 with far deadlier consequences. The media class that laughed at Trump in 2012 failed to recognize they were witnessing the dress rehearsal.