In an almost stunning moment of clarity during Sunday’s Meet the Press, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews admitted in a rant that the media were targeting President Trump. “This president has gale-force winds against him. He comes in with the media killing him every day,” he told moderator Chuck Todd, who was obsessing over the President’s approval numbers. “The New York Times does enterprise pieces, four or five a day against him.”
He also explained that “the big part is the media,” and he recalled how “the media heralded the arrival of Jack Kennedy who won by nothing practically. 100,000 votes.” “But yet he came in, to the point where people said I voted for him. Everybody said they voted -- they didn't vote,” he continued. Essentially, the liberal media championed him so much that people wanted to be associated with the victory.
Matthews’ reasoning for Trump’s low job approval numbers seemed to be for the opposite reason people claimed to have voted for Kennedy. His theory was that the media had shamed people away from admitting they support Trump:
Clearly, it's not a popular thing to say you voted for Trump. In fact, every time I look at a poll I go wait a minute, more people voted for him than admit they voted for him. And that's what's going on. And before the election that was true. I think it is about attitude.
“I think last night by not going to the press dinner and going to Harrisburg he expressed his defiance of us and it goes over very well,” he declared as he then seemed to insult the intelligence of Trump’s base. “It is not about where you stand on China -- again, too intellectual -- it is about attitude.”
According to Matthews, people were in love with the way Trump has been sticking it to the media. “He's still screwing us, still say saying, "To hell with you guys," and still saying things that we know isn't true,” he opined to the rest of the panel.
As the clarity began to fade, he then targeted Fox News, asserting:
And I think his people know it isn’t true, but they love it. It’s like ‘fair and balanced,’ remember that? Nobody at Fox, who watched Fox thought it was fair and balanced. But they loved the way these guys would say that, fair and balanced. Take that. It’s defiance.
This rambling rant was triggered by Todd, who harped on how low Trump’s approval rating was compared to past presidents. “I think the first 100 days are the easiest period of a presidency,” Todd quipped as the information graphic appeared on the screen.
“In every case but one, and you’re going to go down the list, the approval rating of that president went down from 100 days to the mid-terms,” he continued. “My point is this, Chris. Usually, your political capital continues to dwindle after the first 100 days and they're just starting to try to get a legislative achievement.”
Matthews did seem to have a point. No one saw the swing states going for Trump partly because people didn’t want to admit that they were supporting Trump. And the media definitely have played a huge role in that, especially when they keep equating support for Trump with misogyny, white supremacy, and Nazism.
Transcript below:
NBC
Meet the Press
April 30, 2017
10:57:01 AM EasternCHUCK TODD: Chris, I want to get at something here though, which is I think the first 100 days are the easiest period of a presidency. Let me put up this graphic here.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: I've seen the numbers.
TODD: It's unbelievable here. The last six presidents. I’m going to show you the 40-day -- 100-day approval mark and by the time of the mid-terms. In every case but one, and you’re going to go down the list, the approval rating of that president went down from 100 days to the mid-terms. The exception is George W. Bush and the intervening event there was 9/11. My point is this, Chris. Usually, your political capital continues to dwindle after the first 100 days and they're just starting to try to get a legislative achievement.
MATTHEWS: The big part is the media. The media heralded the arrival of Jack Kennedy who won by nothing practically. 100,000 votes. But yet he came in, to the point where people said I voted for him. Everybody said they voted -- they didn't vote. This president has gale-force winds against him. He comes in with the media killing him every day. The New York Times does enterprise pieces, four or five a day against him.
Clearly, it's not a popular thing to say you voted for Trump. In fact, every time I look at a poll I go wait a minute, more people voted for him than admit they voted for him. And that's what's going on. And before the election that was true. I think it is about attitude.
I think last night by not going to the press dinner and going to Harrisburg he expressed his defiance of us and it goes over very well. It is not about where you stand on China -- again, too intellectual -- it is about attitude. As we say in Philly, atty-tude. He's got, I like her but I'm not hiring her because she's got "Atty-tude." But I think attitude is what people feel about this guy. He's still screwing us, still say saying, "To hell with you guys," and still saying things that we know isn't true.
And I think his people know it isn’t true, but they love it. It’s like ‘fair and balanced, remember that? Nobody at Fox, who watched Fox thought it was fair and balanced. But they loved the way these guys would say that, fair and balanced. Take that. It’s defiance.
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