SHOCKING: On His First CNN+ Interview, Chris Wallace Rips On The 1619 Project, Asking Whether There Is Any Proof To Back Up The Claim

During her visit on his new CNN+ interview show, “Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace?” former “Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace engaged into a furious disagreement with “The 1619 Project” founder Nikole Hannah-Jones. The two talked about a variety of issues, including their apparent identical opinions towards ventriloquism. However, the argument took a turn when Wallace brought up some of Hannah-Jones’ allegations in “The 1619 Project,” specifically her contention that the Greatest Generation obstructed democracy for African Americans in the United States while fighting for democratic values in World War II.

“Our democracy today would most certainly look quite different if it weren’t for the idealistic, tireless, and patriotic efforts of black Americans. It’s possible that it’s not even a democracy. “We prefer to refer to people who lived during World War II as the Greatest Generation,” Wallace said, “but it allows us to overlook the truth that many of this generation fought for freedom abroad while violently repressing democracy for millions of Americans.” “Again, I’m not dismissing our heinous racial history. “But aren’t you overstating some of these things?” he inquired.

“If you have half of the country, where there are majorities in some states and pluralities in others, 25 percent of the population, 40 percent of the population cannot vote, have their vote violently suppressed, where there is a single one-party, one-race rule in a region where about 30 percent of the population is black, you have a single one-party, one-race rule in a region where about 30 percent of the population is black.” “Do you think that’s democracy?” Hannah-Jones inquired, reversing the question to Wallace. Wallace countered by pointing out that women did not have the right to vote in the United States at one point, and Hannah-Jones claimed that this was not “democracy” either.

“However, this is where I take issue. I fully agree with you if you say the country where we were fighting for democracy overseas but not living it, walking the walk, talking the talk at home,” Wallace added.

“However, you clearly state that the Greatest Generation violently suppressed democracy for millions of Americans, and that many members of our generation ruthlessly suppress democracy for millions of Americans.”

To me, and I believe Tom Brokaw was talking about 20-year-olds and 30-year-olds who came out of Midwest farm fields, ethnic neighborhoods in Brooklyn and South Philly, and stormed the beaches of Normandy and fought to defeat the most, the worst regime, I would argue, in world history when he wrote the book “The Greatest Generation.” And to argue that the government was viciously oppressing blacks when they were 20, 30-year-olds, but the Greatest Generation wasn’t.”

Hannah-Jones said, “Well, they were.” “No, they weren’t,” Wallace said. “You’re telling me that a farm, that a youngster from a farm in Indiana or a boy from Brooklyn, was oppressing black people?” “As a result, Indiana had the biggest Klan population in the United States.” Hannah-Jones stated that the Klan was initially contacted in Indiana. Wallace attempted again, but Hannah-Jones interrupted: “I understand, but it wasn’t the 20-year-old boy who endangered his life.”

“You don’t believe 20-year-olds were members of the Ku Klux Klan?” Wallace replied, “I didn’t think many of them were.” Hannah-Jones complained, “I mean, I don’t know what proof you have of that.” “Well, since you wrote it,” Wallace said, “what evidence do you have that they were?”

Wallace pushed back, saying, “You indicated much of this generation was ruthlessly repressing democracy for millions of Americans.” Hannah-Jones responded she never said 20-year-olds were in the Klan. “And how is that factually incorrect?” Hannah-Jones pursued the issue.

Wallace said, “I’m just asking.” “You’re ready to portray the 20- and 30-year-olds who defended democracy with a wide brush, and I’m not talking about the leaders.” I’m not referring to the legislation. I’m not referring to the nation. I’m referring about the young people who put their life on the line. For example, they violently suppressed African Americans on the beaches of Normandy.”

Hannah-Jones went on to remark that drawing a line and saying “the government was brutally repressing but everyone else wasn’t” wasn’t fair. They were magnificent.”

“This trying to parse out who gets guilt or who doesn’t for our collective history — we have to be more honest about piercing that mythology not to destroy our country, but to, if we can honestly face who we are, then we can actually become the country that we want to be,” she said, referring to the fact that the military was still segregated during World War II. But we can’t do that by denying the facts, and we can’t do it by asking a black person whose perception of the Greatest Generation was that black people were being lynched.”

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