The Wright Direction

Back on home soil after her stint in NYC, Rebecca Wright shares with Monique McKenzie what she thinks the future holds for the US, and why she is proud of the positive role modelling New Zealand offers her young daughter

- Monique McKenzie

Rebecca Wright will put money on Donald Trump being re-elected. Having just wrapped up her gig as the US correspondent for 1 News, she’s been our authority on American politics for the past three years – jumping headfirst into covering Trump’s presidential inauguration in January 2017, and right among the action ever since. That includes standing on the Canadian border in freezing -26° temperatures talking to refugees affected by his travel reforms, closely following his impeachment inquiry, and constantly refreshing her Twitter feed to keep up with his regular outbursts.

“I think the US is in a real political crisis, and I wouldn’t have said that six months ago. I would’ve said this is a polarising, very divisive moment in the US politically, socially and economically, but I think it is now truly a crisis. It’s not as though you can switch on and off from politics there now – it’s everywhere, it’s pervasive, and there’s this culture war going on. It touches everybody at a very emotional level because it’s about values, who you are, and what your country stands for.”

Now that she’s returned to New Zealand from the Big Apple to start a new role on TVNZ 1’s Sunday, Trump’s tweets are something the 39-year-old no longer has to consider.

“I am so happy to wake up in the morning now and not have to worry about what he’s said overnight,” she laughs.

“But on a slightly more serious level, he’s a genius when it comes to communication and using Twitter to speak directly to his followers and to the media. As soon as he tweets, it’s picked up by CNN or Fox News within a minute. He’s changed political communication in that country.”

Role modelling