Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
The Schmooze

‘The West Wing’ Creator Aaron Sorkin Slams Trump, Defends ‘Out of Touch’ Elites

Aaron Sorkin had politics on his mind during Sunday’s Writers Guild of America Awards.

The “The West Wing” creator took to the stage to accept the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement, and had some choice words about the current administration.

“We’ve been told that as coastal elites we’re something less than real Americans and that we’re out of touch,” he said. “If you find it mind boggling that living and working in the two largest cities in America make you less American, you’re not the one who is out of touch.”

The screenwriter went onto list all the other ways liberals are not out of touch, including their stances on climate change, immigration and voter fraud.

“If you don’t find it remotely credible that three to five million people voted illegally in our last election, you’re not the one who’s out of touch,” Sorkin said. “If you [don’t] think climate change is a global hoax being perpetrated by unscrupulous Chinese scientists in cahoots with every other scientist in a cunning long-con to get grant money, you’re not the one who’s out of touch.”

He added: “If you don’t think that turning away people who are seeking a safe haven from unspeakable brutality is a morally defensible idea, then you’re not the one who’s less than a real American.”

Then, Sorkin turned to action. He put out a rallying cry for writers to tell their stories, no matter what their party affiliation is.

“We come from everywhere. We are old and young, black and white, gay and straight, wealthy and struggling, and yes, liberal and conservative,” he said. “The most powerful delivery system ever invented for an idea is a story, and we’re America’s storytellers, and my dream of being one of you has come true.”

Watch his speech in full below:

Thea Glassman is an Associate Editor at the Forward. Reach her at [email protected]

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.