The 2020 history of Savannah Guthrie and Town Hall

In October 2020, Savannah Guthrie moderated a nationally televised NBC town hall with Trump after he declined to participate in a virtual debate. During that town hall, Guthrie pressed him directly on his refusal to clearly disavow extremist groups and conspiracy movements, including QAnon.

The exchange was tense, but it was not extraordinary. It was journalism.

Trump did not treat it that way.

In the days that followed, he publicly attacked Guthrie, calling her a “crazed lunatic” and accusing her of being hostile and unfair. The language was personal and gendered. It was not a critique of moderation style — it was an attempt to delegitimize and humiliate a woman who had challenged him on live television.

That moment matters because it established a clear, documented conflict. It was not forgotten. It was never resolved. It simply receded into the background.

Until now.