Despite teasing a new poll showing a “stunning” fall for Hillary Clinton, ABC’s Good Morning America on Friday only allowed seconds to the subject. According to a WMUR survey, Clinton trails Bernie Sanders by 16 points in New Hampshire. Robin Roberts opened the show by trumpeting, “And the stunning new poll showing Hillary Clinton falling further behind in a make-or-break state.”
Yet, the actual segment only totaled 19 seconds on the news. (The total report was a minute and 40 seconds.) Instead, reporter Tom Llamas unsurprisingly focused on Donald Trump: “Trump still on top but the latest polls are showing him no longer growing.” Playing up the fighting on the GOP side, he continued, “Trump calling Senator Rubio a kid who repeats what he hears in Congress.”
ABC returned to the story in the 8am hour for a scant 17 seconds.
A transcript is below:
ROBIN ROBERTS: Also this morning, front-runners falling. Donald Trump's rivals closing the gap and turning up the heat. And the stunning new poll showing Hillary Clinton falling further behind in a make-or-break state.
...
7:08
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We're move on to politics now. The Race for President. Your voice, your vote and the front-runners facing challenges this morning. Carly Fiorina shooting up to rival Trump and stunning numbers from New Hampshire showing Bernie Sanders opening up a big lead on Hillary Clinton. ABC’s Tom Llamas tracking it all. Good morning, Tom.
TOM LLAMAS: A new dynamic starting to form in this race. Trump's competition thinking he's vulnerable, but he's still far and away the leader on the GOP side. The crowds came to see the Pope but for some, first they saw the Donald. The billionaire waving to the crowds from his cathedral on Fifth Avenue, Trump Tower. Trump still on top but the latest polls are showing him no longer growing. This morning, poll after poll showing Carly Fiorina and Senator Marco Rubio as the biggest winners following last week's Republican debate. And a new poll from WMUR, our affiliate in New Hampshire, shows a shake-up in the granite state lineup.
CARLY FIORINA: If I quit talking to all the people who attacked me I would have crawled under a rock long ago.
LLAMAS: And Senator Rubio who mostly stayed away from Trump no longer holding back.
MARCO RUBIO: He really never talks about issues and can't have more than a ten-second sound bite on any key issue and so I think he has kind of been exposed a little bit over a last seven days and he is a touchy and insecure guy.
LLAMAS: Trump calling Senator Rubio a kid who repeats what he hears in Congress.
DONALD TRUMP: These guys just sit in the Senate, even though he misses most of the votes, by the way.
LLAMAS: And now to the Democrats: Look at these numbers. We have a poll that we’re going to post up here shortly. Here we go, Sanders, Clinton and Biden. Check out Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator, a double-digit lead over Hillary Clinton. George, back in July Hillary Clinton led this poll.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And now it’s not even close. Okay, Tom, thanks very much.
