From Enemy to Frenemy: Dan Abrams Digs Deep into Feud Between New CNN Colleagues Jake Tapper and Chris Wallace

Ken MeyerDec 14th, 2021, 9:02 am
 

Dan Abrams wondered if Jake Tapper and Chris Wallace will ever learn how to get along with each other, now that they are about to be network colleagues.

The Mediaite founder devoted the latest “Mediaite Moments” segment of his NewsNation show to address the news that Wallace is leaving Fox News and joining CNN for a new venture on their upcoming streaming service, CNN+. Abrams agreed that the shift represents a major shock to the cable news world, and he began by reviewing the flood of reactions that have come in from media watchers.

Now that Wallace is going to be part of CNN’s team though, Abrams wondered if he “could get a chilly reception [from Tapper] at the CNN cafeteria,” given the hostilities between the two over the last few years. Mediaite has noted how Wallace criticized Tapper over a 2017 interview he did with former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, plus there were the jabs Tapper and Wallace took at each other over the latter’s moderation at the first 2020 election presidential debate.

Abrams ran through the highlights of the feud documented by Joe DePaulo, which was accompanied by the lower-thirds banner: “Chris Wallace: From Enemy to Frenemy.” This eventually brought Abrams to Tapper’s recent tweet where he dropped the acrimony and welcomed Wallace to the network.

“Lo and behold! An hour after that story was published, Jake Tapper decided to congratulate Wallace,” Abrams said. “‘Best wishes for whatever’s next’…Would those best wishes be offered if he had gone to MSNBC or if he had come here to NewsNation? Who knows?”

Watch above, via NewsNation.

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