Vice President Mike Pence was in New Hampshire on Thursday to file President Trump's paperwork for that state's Republican Primary and afterwards gave a brief speech to supporters where he laid out the administration's case for re-election.
One of the things Pence cited was the country's positive economic situation since 2017 and even MSNBC Live had to concede the positive economic situation in the country is currently quite good, so how did the anti-Trump network spin this one? By saying credit actually belongs with former President Obama, of course.
Jonathan Lemire of the Associated Press derided, “Now, it must be pointed out, President Trump inherited a growing economy from his predecessor, President Obama.”
After Pence summarized the administration's case by declaring that since 2017 there have been:
6.7 million new jobs created all across America. Unemployment is at a 50-year low. There's more Americans working today than ever before in our nation's history. As of the president celebrated yesterday, more than 150 conservatives confirmed to our federal courts including Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The American economy is booming. Our military is stronger. We've strengthened the conservative constitutional foundations of our courts. In a very real sense under President Donald Trump's leadership we've made America great again.
After Pence's remarks, host Craig Melvin summarized what the audience had just watched and then when to Jonathan Lemire of the Associated Press for his take on the speech. Lemire began by talking about how judicial appointments are "Republican Washington's top priority," then dishonestly framing the effort as an attempt to "stack the judiciary with conservatives justices."
Lemire then appointed himself fact-checker on the economy, "I mean, yes, look we can fact check some of that stuff, but for most Americans, the economy is still good. Now, it must be pointed out, President Trump inherited a growing economy from his predecessor, President Obama." That's not so much a fact check as partisan spin that says Obama gets to blame Bush for a bad economy, during his time, but Trump can't take credit for a good one during his time.
He then went on to point out that the USMCA still has not passed Congress and that U.S.-China trade plans have been complicated as Trump was supposed to sign phase one of a deal at a summit in Santiago, Chile, next week, but the summit has since been cancelled due to mass demonstrations.
Regardless of what comes of trade talks with China, Lemire's opinionated fact check again shows the problem is not with fact-checking, but with the fact checkers.
Here is a transcript for the November 7 show:
MSNBC
MSNBC Live with Craig Melvin
11:10 AM ET
MIKE PENCE: Thank you all for coming out today. It's amazing to think in 2016 here in New Hampshire in the first in the nation primary, the people of New Hampshire believe we could be strong again. They believe we could be prosperous again. They said yes to President Donald Trump in 2016, and as his vice president it's my great honor to add his name to the new
Hampshire Republican primary ballot today because we need New Hampshire and America to give us four more years.[ Cheers and applause ].
CROWD: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!PENCE: We've got an incredible story to tell. Today I'll add the president's name to the ballot in the New Hampshire Republican Primary. We're be in New Hampshire and traveling all over the country because I have to tell you, you look over the last three years, despite incredible opposition by the Democrats and their allies in the media, we have delivered. I mean, think about it. We've rebuilt our military, restored the arsenal of democracy, cut taxes, rolled back regulation, fought for free and fair trade, 6.7 million new jobs created all across America.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Unemployment is at a 50-year low. There's more Americans working today than ever before in our nation's history. As of the president celebrated yesterday, more than 150 conservatives confirmed to our federal courts including Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The American economy is booming. Our military is stronger. We've strengthened the conservative constitutional foundations of our courts. In a very real sense under President Donald Trump's leadership we've made America great again. But to keep America great, New Hampshire, we need four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House.
CROWD: Four more years. Four more years.
CRAIG MELVIN: There you have it. Vice president Mike Pence making it official there in New Hampshire, and also, Jonathan Lemire, giving us a preview of what we will likely hear a lot of over the next year or so. Pence making the case that he and President Trump should get four more years because they've rebuilt the military, they’ve fought for free and fair trade, they've created jobs, unemployment numbers according to Mike pence at a 50-year low and also judicial appointments. That's something we hear from conservatives a lot, making the argument perhaps that that is the number one accomplishment, signature accomplishment of President Trump so far.
JONATHAN LEMIRE: Yes, the president had an event at the White House to celebrate that very thing about judicial appointments and I think we’re going to see more and more talk on that. Mitch McConnell has made that clear that is this Republican Washington's top priority is to stack the judiciary with conservatives justices. I mean, yes, look we can fact check some of that stuff, but for most Americans, the economy is still good. Now, it must be pointed out, President Trump inherited a growing economy from his predecessor, President Obama. We have some typical Republican talking points in terms of the military and so on. The trade deal one is harder to sell right now because we don't have that many trade deals yet. USMCA is slowly moving its way, but it has not become law. The new NAFTA and right now the president is finalizing the first phase of his China trade deal.That was supposed to be signed next week on the sidelines at the summit in Chile that was suddenly cancelled due to the protests there in Santiago, so right now the Chinese and the Trump Administration are trying to find a replacement date and venue. But also the deal is not done just yet and that is something that could perhaps drag down the American economy if it were to fall apart. But yes, you’re seeing here, the Vice President, this is a state they're hoping to add to their column next time around. As you're saying earlier, you'll see the vice president deployed a lot next year to smaller venues while the president focuses on his large rallies. He had one last night in Louisiana, he’s scheduled another one next week in Louisiana for the governor’s race there and we certainly anticipate he'll be on the road probably far more than your usual incumbent when the calendar flips to 2020.
