Why is Trump threatening to fire Nicole Wallace? President's online outburst about an MSNBC host explained

President Donald Trump has directed his attention back to the media, targeting MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace in a Truth Social tirade that garnered much attention over the weekend.

Trump's remarks, including predictions about Wallace losing her job, were made in the midst of Trump’s critiques of journalists after his widely-covered meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

On Sunday, Trump lashed out at Wallace in a series of Truth Social posts. After sharing the fake image that mocked the MSNBC host, Trump said:

"She is a loser, with bad ratings, who was already thrown off of The View. She will be fired soon! MSNBC IS DEAD!"

Trump blasts host Nicolle Wallace, calling her a ‘loser’ with ‘poor ratings,’ and forecasts her dismissal: ‘MSNBC is FINISHED!’

BREAKING: MSNBC REBRANDING AS MS NOW pic.twitter.com/Io2zZ9dHmx

— Sandy (@SD73660) August 18, 2025

The statement spread quickly on social media, with Trump’s post getting thousands of likes and shares. In Trump’s comments about Wallace, he referenced her past departure from the daytime talk show The View and current role as host of Deadline: White House on MSNBC, where she often criticizes Trump and his political allies.

Donald Trump's statements came in response to the intense media attention to his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, where they discussed the war in Ukraine.

Trump suggested that he had made some progress towards peace talks, but also said Ukraine would have to give up territory for that to happen, and these comments drew criticism from political adversaries and the world alike.

During the same Truth Social spree, Donald Trump complained about "Fake News" coverage of the summit, arguing that mainstream media puts words in his mouth and never reports on him accurately. His fire on Nicolle Wallace appears to be part of his wider attacks on journalists he views as hostile.

"There is NOTHING I can say or do that would lead them to write or report honestly about me. I had a great meeting in Alaska on Biden’s stupid War, a war that should have never happened!!!" he added.

A look into Nicolle Wallace's controversial statements regarding Donald Trump

Nicolle Wallace, a former White House communications director for President George W. Bush, has been among Trump's most ferocious critics on cable television. Just days before Trump’s Truth Social posts, she talked negatively about his meeting with Putin.

"It’s so much to watch our country’s president stand with the person responsible for all that suffering and all that death. It’s just heinous," Wallace said.

Nicolle Wallace: "Putin was the alpha all day long." Trump's entire purpose at the meeting was to be a dutiful lapdog and serve his master. It was as shameful and embarrassing a display of blind obedience as the world has ever seen from a US president. 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣👇 pic.twitter.com/XgZqz0Esau

— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) August 18, 2025

On her show, Wallace contended that Trump “doesn’t give a s**t about democracy,” and further asserted that Trump was "gazing adoringly" at the Russian leader during their public appearances.

She even used Trump's body language to jokingly argue that he gave Putin more affection in front of the cameras than he gave his wife, Melania Trump.

"There’s a lot of touching. I don’t know that we always see him touching Melania as much as he touched Putin today. The handshake and then the hand on top of the hand. I mean, everything that over nine years we’ve learned about Trump, this is as fawning as he can be with any public figure he’s ever photographed with," she remarked.

Despite what Trump said, there is no evidence that Wallace is going to lose her job. Her show is still one of the mainstays of MSNBC's political programming, and she is still seen as a trusted voice among the network's viewers.