Francesca Hong revises stance on Thanksgiving after 2021 call to cancel it
The Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate now says it is her favourite holiday, after earlier posts criticised its colonial ties
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Wisconsin Socialist Francesca Hong Backtracks on Thanksgiving
Photograph: Internewscast (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Francesca Hong posted on X in November 2021 calling for Thanksgiving to be cancelled over its colonial ties.
- In a 7 August 2026 Politico podcast, Hong said Thanksgiving was her "favourite holiday" and she did not want to cancel it.
- During a 5 August 2026 CNN interview, Hong gave a 46-second answer when asked if she still believed Thanksgiving should be cancelled and did not say "yes" or "no".
- None of the left-rated outlets tracked by MediaBias News carried the story.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
68/100
Craft
87/100
Hype
48/100
7 sources · methodology
Francesca Hong, a Democratic state representative and gubernatorial candidate in Wisconsin, has revised her position on Thanksgiving after a 2021 social media post calling for its cancellation. In a November 2021 post on X, Hong urged people to "cancel Thanksgiving" and described it as "celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed indigenous folx and women". The post was later deleted.
On 7 August 2026, Hong told Politico’s Playbook podcast that Thanksgiving was her "favourite holiday" and that she did not want to cancel it. She said it was a "big event" for her family but added that she was "kind of a curmudgeon when it comes to holidays in general". Hong has also criticised other US holidays on social media, including Valentine’s Day, Independence Day, Christmas, Halloween, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
During a 5 August 2026 interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Hong was asked whether she still believed Thanksgiving should be cancelled. She responded with a 46-second answer that did not include a direct "yes" or "no". Hong said she had prepared Thanksgiving meals for her community as a chef and believed in bringing people together, but acknowledged that the holiday was "incredibly painful for many people".
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mentioned Hong’s explanation that her 2021 post was made during the Covid-19 pandemic. None of the right-rated reports carried her statement that views "can evolve". No left-rated outlet ran the story at all.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 6 Aug 2026, 08:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The centre-rated report from Internewscast led on Hong’s reversal of her 2021 position, quoting her statement that Thanksgiving was her "favourite holiday". It carried her explanation that the holiday was a major gathering for her family and noted her broader pattern of criticising US holidays on social media. The report included her 46-second non-answer to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and described it as drawing attention online.
Right
6 rated outlets
- All six right-rated reports led on Hong’s backtracking from her 2021 call to cancel Thanksgiving. The New York Post and The National Pulse described her earlier post as a "rant" and "attack", respectively, and the Post called her recent statement a "bizarre backtrack". The Post and democraticaccent.com quoted her saying Thanksgiving was her "favourite holiday", while Twitchy framed her reversal as driven by polling concerns.
- The New York Post’s full report included Hong’s 46-second non-answer to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, describing it as a "word salad". It also noted that Senator Bernie Sanders had declined to endorse Hong’s gubernatorial campaign, quoting Sanders saying he was not familiar with her race. The Post and ussanews.com both highlighted that Hong did not directly answer whether she still believed Thanksgiving should be cancelled.
- The National Pulse’s digest mentioned Hong’s criticism of other holidays, including Christmas and Independence Day. The Post and democraticaccent.com both noted that Hong had called herself a "curmudgeon" about holidays in general.
Read it at the source
7 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
1Right
6- Wisconsin socialist Francesca Hong walks back bizarre claim to cancel Thanksgiving — now says it’s her favorite holiday (opens New York Post in a new tab)
New York Post — is New York Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Dem Socialist Candidate Francesca Hong Calls for Cancellation of Christmas, Thanksgiving, July 4. (opens The National Pulse in a new tab)
The National Pulse — is The National Pulse biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Francesca Hong remarks Thanksgiving is her ‘favorite holiday,’ answers she does not ‘want to cancel it’ (opens wfmd.com in a new tab)
- Francesca Hong remarks Thanksgiving is her 'favorite holiday,' answers she does not 'want to cancel it' – Democratic Accent (opens democraticaccent.com in a new tab)
democraticaccent.com — is democraticaccent.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- SO Genuine! Francesca Hong's Slam on Thanksgiving Clearly Wasn't Polling Well for Her Campaign (opens Twitchy in a new tab)
Twitchy — is Twitchy biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Wisconsin Democrat running for governor won’t say ‘no’ when asked if Thanksgiving should be canceled (opens ussanews.com in a new tab)
ussanews.com — is ussanews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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