NBC finally cares about government spending. The network that has been very friendly to Barack Obama (under whom the national debt will reach $19 trillion) worried that Donald Trump's policy goals may cost too much. Today reporter Hallie Jackson on Tuesday fretted, "The candidate known for his big money... turns out to be a big spender when it comes to his presidential proposals."
Jackson lamented Trump's plans as wasteful: "Deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants estimated to cost about $138 billion. Taking back Iraqi oil fields, which would mean U.S. boots on the ground, $13 billion to $22 billion and repealing the Affordable Care Act may cost the government $137 billion in the next decade."
An NBC graphic warned, "Tallying Trump's Tab; How Much Will Billionaire's Proposals Really Cost?"
Showcasing NBC's new-found interesting in fiscal austerity, Jackson complained of Trump: "He dodged NBC's Katy Tur's question about where that money to deport undocumented immigrants would come from."
Over ABC's Good Morning America, Tom Llamas did not focus on the cost of the immigration policies. Instead, he yelled questions at Trump (who was in New York City for jury duty) on enforcement: "How would you do it?... What would you tell a child of an undocumented immigrant? What would you tell that child born in the U.S.?"
In contrast to the two other networks, CBS This Morning actually focused on candidates other than Trump, but still highlighted immigration and their response to the real estate mogul's plans:
MAJOR GARRETT: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker dodged questions from reporters on whether he, like Trump, would end the extension of citizenship to any child born in America.
SCOTT WALKER: Well, I’ve talked about how going forward I believe we should change the rules, the law, but I think in terms of deporting the best thing we can do is enforce the law.
GARRETT: Also in Iowa, former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina questioned Trump's ability to back his words with action.
CARLY FIORINA: And there are aspects of Donald Trump's immigration plan that I agree with but the truth is we keep talking about this and we never get it done.
GARRETT: Jeb Bush was in South Carolina where he took issue with Trump's plan to build a wall along the southern U.S. border paid for by the Mexican government.
A transcript of the August 18 Today segment is below:
7:07am ET
MATT LAUER: Let's turn now to the Republican front-runner Donald Trump and his controversial proposals to deal with undocumented immigrants and to fight ISIS. How much would they actually cost? NBC’s Hallie Jackson did the math. Hallie, good morning to you.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Tallying Trump’s Tab; How Much Will Billionaire’s Proposals Really Cost?]
HALLIE JACKSON: Good morning, Matt. And this morning, mixed reaction from the GOP field about those new immigration policies proposed by the front-runner and new questions about how much they cost. Donald Trump, you know, talks a lot about how much money he has, but how much taxpayer money is he willing to spend? We tallied the Trump tab to find out.
DONALD TRUMP: Frankly, it’s something we have to do. We either have a country or we don't.
JACKSON: Swarmed by media at jury duty in Manhattan, Donald Trump ignored questions about how he'd pay for the policies he's now fleshing out now on immigration.
TRUMP: They have to go.
JACKSON: On fighting ISIS.
TRUMP: Go and knock the hell out of the oil, take back the oil.
JACKSON: On health care.
TRUMP: We have to repeal ObamaCare.
JACKSON: The candidate known for his big money --
TRUMP: I built a net worth of more than $10 billion.
JACKSON: -- turns out to be a big spender when it comes to his presidential proposals. Deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants estimated to cost about $138 billion. Taking back Iraqi oil fields, which would mean U.S. boots on the ground, $13 billion to $22 billion and repealing the Affordable Care Act may cost the government $137 billion in the next decade. Trump told NBC News, Monday, his immigration plan would be “very, very easily paid for.”
KATY TUR: May I ask you a quick question?
JACKSON: But he dodged NBC's Katy Tur's question about where that money to deport undocumented immigrants would come from.
TRUMP: It costs a lot of money to have them here, Katy. And frankly, it's something we have to do.
JACKSON: The front-runner, leading by double digits in a new Fox News poll, under fire from one of his biggest Republican opponents, hitting back.
JEB BUSH: I think that the better approach is to deal with the 11 million people here illegally in a way that is realistic.
JACKSON: Bush now 11 points behind Trump in a new CNN poll out this morning. Other candidates, meanwhile, like Carly Fiorina, Scott Walker, are embracing parts of Trump's plan even as they look to refocus on their own immigration stances and shift the conversation to other priorities guys. Frankly, a little bit sick of talking about Trump.
LAUER: Alright, Hallie Jackson. Hallie, thank you very much.
