The Dispute Index

Christopher Rufo

Portrait of Christopher Rufo
ReasonTV

Christopher Rufo is an American conservative writer, filmmaker and political activist. He is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal, and the author of America’s Cultural Revolution. His work has focused on critical race theory, gender ideology, homelessness, addiction, crime and urban decline.

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What DI has documented

DI has documented statements by Christopher Rufo on Israel, Media, and Music, among other topics. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.

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Statements by Christopher Rufo

Portrait of Christopher Rufo

Christopher Rufo

Role at the time: Senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a guest panelist on Overtime with Bill Maher

Defended or excused

Statement summary

Answering a question about Trump banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, Christopher Rufo said the ban “is a mistake in the same way it was a mistake for Robert Kraft to ban Macklemore.” He went on to say that the press ban gives Trump’s opponents “an easy win” because they can say they stand for free speech and good journalism, and that it is “a mistake strategically” and “on the substance.”

“This is a mistake in the same way it was a mistake for Robert Kraft to ban Macklemore.”
Watch the original video (opens in a new tab)Overtime with Bill Maher: Jessica Tarlov, Kevin Roose, Christopher Rufo (HBO)01:10–01:47 (Rufo’s answer to the question read at 00:17–00:29)
Why we used this label

Rufo mentions Macklemore only as a comparison in an answer about Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, and says it was “a mistake for Robert Kraft to ban Macklemore.” Under this case’s convention, opposing the removal or predicting it will backfire is recorded as “Defended or excused”; that is not an endorsement of the speech, which he does not address in this exchange. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, but he states no condition and no differing positions on the removal, and his objection is framed strategically, as handing opponents “an easy win.”

Read statementMacklemore’s “Free Palestine” speech and removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour
Portrait of Christopher Rufo

Christopher Rufo

Role at the time: Senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a guest panelist on Overtime with Bill Maher

Condemned

Statement summary

Asked on Overtime with Bill Maher what the panel thought of Trump banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, Christopher Rufo said the ban is a mistake in the same way it was a mistake for Robert Kraft to ban Macklemore, because it gives opponents “an easy win”: they can say they stand for free speech and good journalism. He called it “a mistake strategically” and “on the substance,” said the president’s best moments are “oftentimes in combat with people from the left-wing media,” and said that “hunkering down, remaining in the echo chamber, it’s a mistake on all fronts.”

“This is a mistake in the same way it was a mistake for Robert Kraft to ban Macklemore. You’re giving your opponents an easy win. They can say, we stand for free speech, good journalism.” … “I think it’s a mistake strategically, but it’s also a mistake on the substance. The president’s best moments are oftentimes in combat with people from the left-wing media. And so, as conservatives, we don’t have the benefit of having the mainstream media on our side. We have to be smart in how we do combat with the left-wing media if we want to have our message break through. And so, hunkering down, remaining in the echo chamber, it’s a mistake on all fronts.”
Watch the original video (opens in a new tab)Overtime with Bill Maher: Jessica Tarlov, Kevin Roose, Christopher Rufo (HBO)01:10–01:47 (Rufo’s answer to the question read at 00:17–00:29)
Why we used this label

Rufo, speaking as a conservative, calls the exclusion “a mistake strategically” and “on the substance,” says it hands opponents “an easy win,” and concludes that “hunkering down, remaining in the echo chamber, it’s a mistake on all fronts.” That criticizes the exclusion itself. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, because part of his objection is strategic and he says the president’s best moments often come in combat with left-wing media; it loses because he also calls the ban a mistake “on the substance” and does not defend it in this exchange.

Read statementShould President Trump bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over their coverage?

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