On Wednesday, liberal cable news hosts continued to instill fear over the 2026 midterm elections as CNN’s Dana Bash appeared on MS NOW to promote her new book on historical elections. After host Stephanie Ruhle asked why the 2016 election was not in the book, she asked Bash if she was confident institutions would “hold” amid the 2026 midterm elections, and worried that some don’t take “we in the news” saying “we could be on the verge of a potential constitutional crisis” seriously.
In the cable news channel crossover, the start of Bash's appearance focused on her book, but later, after Ruhle asked about more recent elections, Bash took a particular focus on Trump:
The election of Donald Trump in 2016 is consequential. The Trump factor. We're still in it. I mean, we are in the Trump era. I don't need to tell you. So, that was one that we really wanted to sort of take a beat on, because there's going to be a lot more to write on.
CNN’s Dana Bash was asked on MS NOW whether she was “confident” that American institutions would "hold" amid the midterm elections, as Stephanie Ruhle stipulated the country was “on the verge of a potential constitutional crisis.”
Bash only said she was “hopeful” but not… pic.twitter.com/A0oU0uLhXh— Nick (@nspin310) October 7, 2026
She added, in sort of a lead-in to Ruhle, and said, “And what happens in November is going to be a big part of that.”
Ruhle then turned to fear for institutions and a “constitutional crisis”:
When we in the news covering these elections, when we say we could be on the verge of a potential constitutional crisis, lots of people blow it off. They're like, ‘Oh my gosh, that's crazy. Our institutions always hold. This is the United States of America.’ Are you that confident?
Bash followed and decided to not say she was confident. Instead, she said, “I'm hopeful. I'll use that word. And that is because so far the institutions have held. But we have seen them bending almost to the point where they break. “
She then invoked January 6th and said it was “not something that I or you or anybody who we know ever could have imagined happening, particularly for someone like me. You see the Capitol behind me. I spent most of my journalism career walking those hallways.”
Bash later insisted she was “watching for signs that the system might not hold or that the system might be challenged by the most important person in this country as people go to the polls.”
She added, “And the fact that we are all hyper aware and vigilant of it is half the battle, I do think.” Bash then continued with thankfulness for the First Amendment: “Because we do still exist as journalists. We do still have the First Amendment. And the fact that we can shed light on any potential problems, never mind if it, God forbid, does actually happen, is so, so critical.”
Bash made sure to, once again, clarify that she was just hopeful. She said, “I'm not going to say confident. I just want to stick with hopeful.”
Notably, Bash made these comments on MS NOW, which has constantly instilled fear in the midterm election over the past year. Earlier this year, Bash and another MS NOW host, former Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki, seemed similar in their liberal election fears and pushed a conspiracy theory that ICE would steal the midterm elections.
The transcript is below. Click "expand":
MS NOW’s Money, Power, Politics
October 7, 2026
9:47:20 AM Eastern
(...)
DANA BASH: And so. for what you said, obviously, the election of Barack Obama, the first African-American president in in this country, is consequential. The election of Donald Trump in 2016 is consequential. The Trump factor. We're still in it. I mean, we are in the Trump era. I don't need to tell you. So, that was one that we really wanted to sort of take a beat on, because there's going to be a lot more to write on. And what happens in November is going to be a big part of that.
STEPHANIE RUHLE: Let me ask you about what we're in store for, right?
BASH: Yeah.
RUHLE: When we in the news covering these elections, when we say we could be on the verge of a potential constitutional crisis, lots of people blow it off. They're like, ‘Oh my gosh, that's crazy. Our institutions always hold. This is the United States of America.’ Are you that confident?
BASH: I'm hopeful. I'll use that word. And that is because so far the institutions have held. But we have seen them bending almost to the point where they break.
I mean, January 6th was not something that I or you or anybody who we know ever could have imagined happening, particularly for someone like me, you see the Capitol behind me. I spent most of my journalism career walking those hallways.
So, it is something that I cover – I know you cover on a daily basis –watching for signs that the system might not hold or that the system might be challenged by the most important person in this country as people go to the polls. And the fact that we are all hyper aware and vigilant of it is half the battle, I do think.
Because we do still exist as journalists. We do still have the First Amendment. And the fact that we can shed light on any potential problems, never mind if it, God forbid, does actually happen, is so, so critical.
And so I'm going to go back to hopeful. I don't - I'm not going to say confident. I just want to stick with hopeful. [Laughter]
RUHLE: [Laughs] In Dana Bash’s Cook Political Report, she is shifting to hopeful.
(...)
