Chris Wallace born as Christopher W. Wallace is an American political commentator and television anchor. He has been the host of the Fox Broadcasting Company/Fox News Channel program Fox News Sunday. He has won Emmy Award and the Dupont-Columbia Silver Baton Award. Wallace has been with Fox News since 2003.
As a previous moderator of Meet the Press on NBC, Wallace is the only person to date to have served as host/moderator of more than one of the major Sunday morning political talk shows.
He was born on 12 October 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He was born to a journalist father Mike Wallace and Norma Kaphan.
He has been married twice. He got married to her first wife Elizabeth Farrell, in 1973. The couple has four children: Peter, Megan, Andrew, and Catherine. In 1997, he married Lorraine Smothers (née Martin, born 1959), the former wife of Dick Smothers. Lorraine has two children from her previous marriage: Sarah Smothers and Remick Smothers.
He is a father to six; Peter, Megan, Catherine, Andrew, Sarah, and Remick., some of whom have kids of their own. To learn about his thoughts on fatherhood, he was presented to a Fatherly Questionnaire. In the questionnaire, he discusses his proudest moment as a father, his lack of culinary skills, and his affinity for talking trash with his kids during mini golf games
He started his network journalism career with NBC in 1975, where he stayed for 14 years, as a reporter with WNBC-TV in New York City. Wallace then transferred to NBC’s Washington bureau as a political correspondent for NBC News and later served as Washington co-anchor and newsreader for the Today show in 1982. He also served as chief White House correspondent in 1982–1989, anchor of the Sunday edition of NBC Nightly News (1982–1984, 1986–1987), and moderator of Meet the Press (1987–1988).
Chris Wallace is an American anchor and journalist who has a net worth of $12 million dollars and an annual salary of $4 million.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump went head to head for the third time Wednesday night, but it was moderator Wallace’s first time in the hot seat. The Commission on Presidential Debates selected Wallace as moderator of the third presidential debate, held on October 19, 2016, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
This was his first time the anchor of Fox News had moderated a general election presidential debate. After he was appointed Wallace controversially said, “it’s not my job” to fact-check candidates, but that it was the job of the opposing candidate. Though after the debate, Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post said that despite her strong disapproval of other Fox News commentators, “No one could watch the final debate and deny that Chris Wallace is among the best in the business.”
Chris Wallace Twitter
Gov. Kevin Stitt: We Will Be Data-Driven In Oklahoma, Not Making Decisions Based On What We See On TV
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt explained why he is re-opening parts of his state’s economy as the coronavirus pandemic wanes in that region, during an interview with Chris Wallace on “FOX News Sunday.”
“I also told Oklahomans that we’ll be data-driven. We’ll continue to watch the trends. And if the percentage of tests start increasing or hospitalizations start increasing, that we’ll kick back one of those phases and we can obviously reserve the right to back up if we need to. But we believe it’s the time to have a measured reopening,” Stitt said.
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS HOST: Oklahoma is one of the states trying to get back to business despite concerns reopening too soon could lead to a new surge of coronavirus cases.
Governor Kevin Stitt joins us now from Oklahoma City. Governor, why did you decide to start reopening your state?
GOV. KEVIN STITT (R-OK): Well, thanks for having me on, Chris.
You have to go back and think about why we closed down in the first place. You know, I’ve issued 15 executive orders since March 15th, when I first declared the state of emergency, but it was but to build capacity in our hospitals, to make sure we didn’t over run our health care system, it was to build supply for PPE and it was to flatten the curve.
The facts in our state are, March 30th we had — we peaked at hospitalizations with 560 across the state. Today we have 300 across the state in our hospitals. And so we think it’s time for a measured reopening.
But I’ve been very clear with Oklahomans that coronavirus is still in the United States and it’s still in Oklahoma, so we have to continue with the social distancing, but we will start taking some measured reopening in a phased, measured approach.
WALLACE: But, Governor, here is the head of your state — your state medical association, Dr. George Monks. Let’s put up his comments on the screen. Even without widespread testing, Oklahoma has seen an ongoing growth in the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the past week alone.
He points out the White House guidelines call for a two-week downward trajectory in cases and says, we are far from this point. Governor, that is the head of your state medical association.
STITT: Well, I don’t know exactly who that is, but the department of health head in our state is Gary Cox, and we have followed all of the White House guidelines. There were four gates that we’ve met. And the facts are, we have been on a steady decline since March 30th in hospitalizations and we have 300 across our state. And that’s when we decided to have a measured reopening.
We’re always going to be data driven in Oklahoma. We’re watching it. We — I have put up 80 different mobile test sites across the state. We currently ranked 25th in the nation in number of testing. And it is time for a measured reopening. But I also told Oklahomans that we’ll be data driven. We’ll continue to watch the trends. And if the percentage of tests start increasing or hospitalizations start increasing, that we’ll kick back one of those phases and we can obviously reserve the rights to back up if we need to. But we believe it’s the time to have a measured reopening.
WALLACE: Well, in fact, the reopening started two days ago when under your order spas and nail salons and barbershops could reopen. Do you have any sense of how many in fact did reopen on Friday?
STITT: Well, you’ve got to realize that — and I gave that — you know, certain communities could start with a phase one yesterday on the 24th or two days ago on the 24th by appointment only. These are barbershops. These are folks like in Midwest City that have been in business for 50 years.
And next Friday, on May 1st, is when where going to have a limited reopening for churches, if they — if they follow social distancing and have every other pew, some in restaurant dining, we’re going to spread the tables out six feet apart, mask up, do temperature testing. So we have a list of guidance for those restaurants that want to start opening. And, again, we’re going to be data-driven. But I’m — I’m — we will not make decisions in Oklahoma, what we’re seeing on television or what we’re seeing happening in other states. And the facts are, we’ve gone from 560 hospitalized people on March 30th, today we have 300 across the state. We built capacity. We now have 4,600 hospital beds for Covid-related patients.
WALLACE: Right.
STITT: And that was the whole objective when we got here on March 15th and we started this executive orders, was to build capacity in our hospitals because we understand that Covid is still here. We’re — people are still going to get it. But Oklahomans are safe and we’re ready for a measured reopening.
WALLACE: Well, I want to ask you about — about the measured reopening. There’s nobody who wants to reopen a country more than President Trump. But he said this week that he’s concerned about some of these places that — that do up close, personal services, like spas, like salons, like barbershops, that it may just be too close.
Here he is. Here’s the president.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I love those people that use all of those things, the spas and the beauty parlors and barbershops, tattoo parlors. I love them. But they can wait a little bit longer. Just a little bit. Not much. Because safety has to predominate.
WALLACE: Governor, is President Trump wrong?
STITT: Of course — of course safety is number one. And the two guiding principles that I told Oklahomans we’re going to use to — through this whole process was the health and safety of Oklahomans, number one, and then mitigate the loss to our economy and get our workers back working as quickly as possible.
We’re data-driven. I can’t speak to what’s happening in other states. But in my state, we’re seeing the trending go down. Our testing is going up. Our tracing. We put 80,000 — 80 different testing sites up. We’ve tested over 55,000 folks. Our positive tests right now are 6.3 percent.
And, again, 300 hospitalized cases across the state with a capacity for 4,600. We think it’s a — it’s a reasonable time to reopen.
WALLACE: Right.
STITT: And you could always play Monday morning quarterback and say, hey, let’s wait until we have 100 folks in the hospital in Oklahoma or 50 or zero, but I just don’t think that’s practical. So we’ve done what we set out to do on March 15th —
WALLACE: Governor.
STITT: Yes, sir.
WALLACE: Yes, well, let me just ask you one last question because we’re running out of time.
Localities under Oklahoma rules can ignore your order and keep their stay-at-home directives. But the mayors of a number of the big cities say reluctantly they are going to reopen because they say since you’ve opened up the state, they — if — if the town next door has reopened and they can’t protect their — their residence anyway.
Here is the mayor of Norman, Oklahoma.
MAYOR BREEA CLARK (D), NORMAN, OKLAHOMA: We don’t have that testing capacity right now and so it’s very, very dangerous to open without it. We need to get to a position where we are proactive, not just reactive. And then opening businesses where it’s sustained, close personal contact is very dangerous.
WALLACE: Mayor — I mean, Governor, I’ve got about a minute left. Mayors say that you’re pitting cities against each other. In fact, one of them called it Oklahoma’s version of “The Hunger Games.”
STITT: Well, you know, I’ve got a great relationship with the mayors across the state. And these are tough decisions. And I know they’re concerned about their citizens as well.
I’m putting guidance for the whole state because, as you know — but I’ve never been heavy-handed with the mayors in different locations. I’ve let them make decisions based on their communities.
But I’m thinking about all 4 million Oklahomans. I’m giving guidance. If a restaurant doesn’t feel like they’re ready to reopen, they don’t have to.
WALLACE: Right.
STITT: If you don’t feel like it’s time to go by appointment only to a barbershop, you don’t have to. But we think it’s a — it’s time and we can always back up or we can extend these phases.
