Thursday's New Day on CNN harped on how supposedly for "millions of American women...the pain runs deep" in the wake of Hillary Clinton's defeat. Kyung Lah touted that "if 2016 was identity politics, women across social media feel theirs is under attack in Clinton's loss." Lah spotlighted three female Clinton supporters at UCLA. One undergraduate revealed, "I've had to wake up to the reality that a lot of America is not like what Los Angeles is like." Surprisingly, Alisyn Camerota admitted, "People on the coast do live in a bubble that is not necessarily reflective of the entire country." [video below]
Fill-in anchor John Berman previewed Lah's report by underlining that "millions of American women [are] still processing Hillary Clinton's defeat; and for many, the pain runs deep and transcends politics. So why was this election so personal for so many?" Camerota continued in this vein during the lead-in for the correspondent's segment: "Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump still crushing for many women of all ages — for them, her loss is running deeper than politics."
Lah first zeroed in on Clinton backer Leonora Pitts, who was interviewed from her "liberal community in Los Angeles." Pitts was visibly upset by the results of the presidential election, but was the first to acknowledge the liberal "bubble" in her West Coast enclave: "As comforting as our bubble is that we live in; and as hard as it is to have these conversations now (crying), it's...important to start listening."
The CNN journalist asked the California resident what made it so "personal" for her. Pitts replied, "My children matter to me, and our minorities matter to me — because they're my friends and they're my community, and I want to make sure that they're okay — and they don't feel okay. They feel really scared." Lah continued with two sobbing reactions to the Democrat's loss from pop singer Miley Cyrus and from a YouTube video.
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The correspondent then hyped how "emotion has spilled onto the streets of Los Angeles — mothers carrying signs and children; students walking out of classrooms at UCLA," and followed with her soundbites from the three UCLA students. She asked them, "When you say you have fear in you, what do you mean?" One contended that "being a black Muslim woman in America today is very scary; and Trump being elected just further builds onto my fear." Before playing one last clip from Pitts, Lah emphasized, "More than a week on, West Coast women are still learning about their new national reality. It just doesn't look like any reality they believed they were living."
Camerota responded to the segment with her "bubble" point about the coastal areas of the U.S.: "I think that that raises a very important point that not everybody is talking about — which is, the geographical divide in this country...people on the coasts feel completely different than a lot of people in the heartland...[a]nd there is that divide in America, where people on the coast do live in a bubble that is not necessarily reflective of the entire country." Berman then played up how "Hillary Clinton leads right now by a million in the popular vote, and that number will go up. So, there are people who feel like — wait a second: our opinions were validated, but the results are not what we were expecting."
The full transcript of Kyung Lah's report from the November 17, 2016 edition of CNN's New Day:
ALISYN CAMEROTA: Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump still crushing for many women of all ages — for them, her loss is running deeper than politics.
Here's CNN's Kyung Lah.
LEONORA PITTS, CLINTON SUPPORTER: All right. What time is it? Are you ready to get moving?
KYUNG LAH (voice-over): Nothing in Leonora Pitts's routine in her liberal community in Los Angeles has changed in the week since the presidential election. Yet, everything has.
PITTS: As comforting as — as our bubble is that we live in; and as hard as it is to have these conversations now (crying), it's important to — I'm sorry — it's important to start listening.
LAH (on-camera): Why is this so personal for you?
PITTS: My children matter to me, and our minorities matter to me — because they're my friends and they're my community, and I want to make sure that they're okay — and they don't feel okay. They feel really scared.
LAH (voice-over): If 2016 was identity politics, women across social media feel theirs is under attack in Clinton's loss. Video messages from Miley Cyrus—
MILEY CYRUS (from Twitter video): (crying) But please: please just treat people with love, and treat people with compassion, and treat people with respect.
LAH: To ordinary voters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (from YouTube video): (crying) This country is my home; and I feel like it's not — I feel like I'm not welcome here anymore.
LAH: Emotion has spilled onto the streets of Los Angeles — mothers carrying signs and children; students walking out of classrooms at UCLA. These UCLA students supported Hillary Clinton.
LAH: (on-camera): When you say you have fear in you, what do you mean?
HANNA ALMALSSI, UCLA STUDENT: Well, I'm a woman. I'm black. I'm Muslim — and those three factors — basically, being a black Muslim woman in America today is very scary; and Trump being elected just further builds onto my fear.
ABBEY CHAPMAN, UCLA STUDENT: I think it scares me about how people look at me as a woman. You know, how can I go forward knowing that people are okay with somebody coming out and bragging about sexual assault; and then, still voting for that person?
MELLISSA MEISELS, UCLA STUDENT: I've had to wake up to the reality that a lot of America is not like what Los Angeles is like.
LAH (voice-over): More than a week on, West Coast women are still learning about their new national reality. It just doesn't look like any reality they believed they were living.
PITTS: There's this underlying fear that's permeating everything; and it's — it's really unsettling. It's a really unsettling feeling.
LAH: Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
CAMEROTA (live): I think that that raises a very important point that not everybody is talking about — which is, the geographical divide in this country. So, it's not just women. It's that people on the coasts feel completely different than a lot of people in the heartland; in the mid-section; And there is that divide in America, where people on the coast do live in a bubble that is not necessarily reflective of the entire country. And people are trying to now, sort of, reconcile that.
BERMAN: There's (sic) a lot of things people are processing. Look, Hillary Clinton leads right now by — by a million in the popular vote, and that number will go up. So, there are people who feel like — wait a second: our opinions were validated, but the results are not what we were expecting. But, still — you know, people have to look and see how others are thinking and feeling about this.
CAMEROTA: Absolutely. There's a lot to continue to process.
