CBS’ Scott Pelley goes viral after he warns of Trump attacks in Wake Forest speech
A commencement speech at Wake Forest University gained viral attention over the weekend for CBS reporter Scott Pelley’s digs at President Donald Trump.
While he made no mention of Trump or his administration by name, Pelley warned graduates about an “insidious fear” seeping into schools and businesses. He referenced international students who were wrongfully detained, threats to civil rights and voting rights, and government interference in the free press.
“Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack,” Pelley said.
Conservative voices lambasted Pelley for his comments. CBS News’ director of communications, Natalie Pahz, declined to comment on the debate sparked by the speech in an email to The News & Observer.
Pelley delivered his speech May 19, almost a month after ending a “60 Minutes” segment by acknowledging former executive producer Bill Owens’ April 22 resignation. CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, is reportedly looking to settle a $20 billion lawsuit with President Donald Trump inspired by claims that an interview with Trump’s then-presidential opponent, Kamala Harris, was manipulated and unfairly edited before it aired. Owens saw the potential concession as a loss of independent journalism.
The network has since released public transcripts of its interview to prove its journalistic integrity, but the New York Times reported Paramount executives are considering a settlement over the claims.
Democratic U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren said last week they had opened an investigation into whether settling with Trump would violate bribery laws; and the Freedom of the Press Foundation – a Paramount shareholder – announced May 23 it would sue Paramount leadership if a settlement is reached.
While Pelley did not name any particular members of the U.S. government, he referenced strength from figures like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Iraqi Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Marad for the graduates to emulate. Fighting against ignorance was a core message of his speech – a speech the university commended in a May 20 press release.
“I’m a reporter so I won’t bury the lead,” Pelley said to Wake Forest’s class of 2025, as transcribed on the university’s website. “Your country needs you. The country that has given you so much is calling you, the Class of 2025. The country needs you, and it needs you today.”
“Why attack universities? Why attack journalism? Because ignorance works for power,” Pelley said.
“First, make the truth seekers live in fear. Sue the journalists. For nothing. Then send masked agents to abduct a college student, a writer of her college paper who wrote an editorial supporting Palestinian rights, and send her to a prison in Louisiana and charge her with nothing. Then, move to destroy law firms that stand up for the rights of others.”
Pelley referenced the six-week detention of a Tufts University doctoral student, Rümeysa Öztürk, after she wrote and published a pro-Palestinian op-ed. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security claimed her actions indicated support for the terrorist organization Hamas. A federal judge had her released.
An X post on the North Carolina Conservatives community group called Pelley’s speech hypocritical.
“At Wake Forest University’s commencement today, Scott Pelley criticized Trump for allegedly undermining the free press, despite Pelley’s own platform on 60 Minutes. Commencement speeches are meant to be a joyous send-off, not a politicized rant,” the post read.
Discourse surrounding Pelley’s speech comes as commencements across the country are becoming increasingly politically charged. Columbia University’s president faced a wave of boos during a May 21 graduation ceremony over a crackdown on pro-Palestinian speech. Last year, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who is Jewish and a supporter of Israel, watched students walk off stage with Palestinian flags during his Duke University commencement speech. Around the same time, Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker received backlash for saying women’s most important role is to be a homemaker and criticizing the LGBTQ+ community at the commencement at Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal arts school.
Meanwhile, other speeches this year steered clear of politics. Kermit the Frog’s commencement at Muppets creator Jim Henson’s alma mater, the University of Maryland, was met with smiles and laughter.
This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 7:42 PM with the headline "CBS’ Scott Pelley goes viral after he warns of Trump attacks in Wake Forest speech."
