A CNN panel said Monday morning that “average” American voters are not concerned with pro-Palestine protests on college campuses that are covered by “elite” media alumni of Ivy League schools.
Anti-Israel protests have recently swept college campuses across the nation including Columbia University and New York University (NYU), resulting in hours of media coverage dedicated to the demonstrations. Former Biden White House communications director Kate Bedingfield told CNN panelists that “average” American voters don’t care about protests at Ivy League schools unlike “elite” media anchors and personalities, who likely attended those universities themselves.
“In no disrespect to any other universities, if it were Lafayette University, it would not make the cover of the New York Post,” CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams said.
“Exactly, and this is kind of the point I was making earlier,” Bedingfield chimed in. “I mean, this is, you know, you’re looking at the most elite institutions which are, you know, have a storied history of protests that has driven social change, and, you know. But ultimately for the average person around the country, are they concerned, are they thinking about what’s happening on campus at Columbia or Harvard? They’re not. And so I just think there is a, precisely because we’re talking about these elite institutions that, uh, you know, command media attention from a lot of people in the media who attended those institutions.”
“There’s a higher percentage of people in elite spaces who have attended these universities,” CNN host Kasie Hunt added.
“Exactly, exactly. It’s uh, uh, you know, it’s, it’s, it’s the uh, not, it’s not a uh, deluded, uh, pool,” Bedingfield said to the laughter of the panel. (RELATED: ‘Canary In The Coal Mine’: CNN Host Slams ‘Dangerous’ Anti-Israel Protests On College Campus)
A crowd of pro-Palestine demonstrators assembled outside of the White House correspondents’ dinner Saturday evening, expressing their discontent with President Joe Biden’s stance on the conflict that exploded when Islamic terror group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. This comes as Biden sits at a 71% disapproval rating for his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, CNN polling data showed.