It seems to have taken a poor debate performance by Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Kaine to finally get ABC to cover former President Bill Clinton’s critical remarks about ObamaCare. The network finally reported on the comments Wednesday during World News Tonight, roughly two days after Clinton described the program as a “crazy system.” Out of the 3 minutes, 12 seconds set aside for his report, ABC’s Tom Llamas spent 1 minute, 10 seconds on the debate itself before moving on to Clinton’s comment.
Starting off his report, Llamas was shocked that Donald Trump would celebrate Governor Mike Pence’s win over Kaine. “Tonight, Donald Trump, taking credit for his running mate's debate performance,” he exclaimed. “Mike Pence did an incredible job,” Trump said in the clip Llamas played, “And I'm getting a lot of credit, because that's really my first so-called choice, that was my first hire, as we would say in Las Vegas.”
What Llamas failed to report was that, while at a campaign rally Wednesday, Pence stated that his win was a win for Trump and the campaign as a whole. “Some people think I won. But I will leave that to others,” Pence announced to the crowd, “What I can tell you is from where I sat, Donald Trump won the debate. Donald Trump's vision to make America great again won the debate.”
The only clips of the debate Llamas showed was of Kaine and Pence arguing over the insults that have been flying back and forth. “In the VP debate, Governor Mike Pence, praised for his style, both candidates arguing over which campaign deals more in insults,” was how Llamas highlighted the debate.
Llamas quickly turned his attention to the next presidential debate and playing down Clinton’s critique of ObamaCare. “Trump now testing a possible new line of attack for his own debate Sunday,” the reporter said of Trump’s pushing of the subject at his rallies.
He went on by repeating the Clinton Campaign’s excuse for Bill’s comment and touted Hillary’s prep for the next debate. “Today, Clinton clarifying, saying he supports ObamaCare, but it has some problems,” he stated, “Hillary Clinton, flying to Washington today, already deep in that focused prep Trump once mocked.”
ABC’s apparent abandonment of the vice presidential debate wasn’t too much of a surprise, since Anchor David Muir telegraphed it leading into the report saying, “We turn next here to the race for the White House, and perhaps you were one of the millions watching that fiery vice presidential debate overnight. But already tonight, an intense focus on the next presidential faceoff, just four days away now.”
Transcript below:
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ABC
World News Tonight
October 5, 2016
6:42:19 PM Eastern [3 Minutes 12 Seconds]DAVID MUIR: We turn next here to the race for the White House, and perhaps you were one of the millions watching that fiery vice presidential debate overnight. But already tonight, an intense focus on the next presidential faceoff, just four days away now. ABC's Tom Llamas tonight with Trump out on the campaign trail, and Hillary Clinton off the trail and preparing.
[Cuts to video]
TOM LLAMAS: Tonight, Donald Trump, taking credit for his running mate's debate performance!
DONALD TRUMP: Mike Pence did an incredible job. And I'm getting a lot of credit, because that's really my first so-called choice, that was my first hire, as we would say in Las Vegas.
LLAMAS: In the VP debate, Governor Mike Pence, praised for his style, both candidates arguing over which campaign deals more in insults.
TIM KAINE: He's called women slobs, pigs, dogs, disgusting. He attacked an Indiana-born federal judge and said he was unqualified to hear a federal lawsuit because his parents were Mexican. He went after John McCain, a POW, and said he wasn't a hero because he had been captured. He said African-Americans are living in hell.
LLAMAS: Pence, trying to turn the tables.
MIKE PENCE: Did you all just hear that? Ours is an insult-driven campaign? I mean, to be honest with you, if Donald Trump had said all the things that you said he said in the way you said he said them, he still wouldn't have a fraction of the insults that Hillary Clinton leveled when she said that half of our supporters were a basket of deplorables.
LLAMAS: Trump now testing a possible new line of attack for his own debate Sunday.
TRUMP: Bill Clinton yesterday, oh, they're so angry at him. They scolded him yesterday. He was scolded.
LLAMAS: What he's talking about these recent Clinton comments, criticizing ObamaCare.
BILL CLINTON: So, you’ve got this crazy system where all of a sudden 25 million more people have healthcare, and then the people are out there busting it, sometimes 60 hours a week, wind up with their premiums doubled and their coverage cut in half. It's the craziest thing in world.
TRUMP: So, Bill Clinton torched President Obama's signature legislation. He said, it's just a crazy system. And that's the way he said it. It's the craziest thing in the whole world.
LLAMAS: Today, Clinton clarifying, saying he supports ObamaCare, but it has some problems. Hillary Clinton, flying to Washington today, already deep in that focused prep Trump once mocked.
TRUMP: You decided to stay home, and that's okay.
HILLARY CLINTON: I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate. And, yes, I did.
[Cuts back to live]
DAVID MUIR: Tom Llamas with us live tonight from Trump Tower. We know the second debate will be a little different, a town hall-style format. Late today, the Clinton team saying she likes town hall formats, she embraces it, and Tom, what are you learning from your Trump sources tonight. Is he preparing for this different format?
LLAMAS: David, he is, we've just learned that tomorrow night, he'll have a private town hall in New Hampshire and that will likely emulate the formul—the format he'll see on Sunday, David.
MUIR: All right, Tom Llamas with us tonight. Tom, thanks as always.
