Alex Wagner just took the media’s infatuation with the Clinton family to a whole new level. In an interview with Chelsea Clinton on Friday’s Now, the daytime MSNBC host jokingly begged Clinton for “an extra large rolly bag that I can stuff myself into” when the former First Daughter travels.
After Clinton gamely approved, Wagner followed up with an even more bizarre request:
If you are looking to adopt older people, I would like to volunteer.
Wagner’s adoration of the Clinton family was on full display throughout her Friday show, as she interviewed both Chelsea and former president Bill about the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America conference in Chicago. The MSNBC host kicked off her interview with Chelsea by gushing over CGI’s success:
And congratulations on having an incredible – I mean, I feel like CGI is going to take over the world. At one point it will be renamed CGI Earth because of the extent to which you guys are involved in so many places around the world – and doing really important work, I might add.
While no one would discredit the philanthropic endeavors of President Clinton’s organization, it’s a bit outlandish to suggest the non-profit is taking over the world – but Wagner probably would enjoy that, given she’s willing to stuff herself in a suitcase just to be around the Clintons.
Wagner also joined the chorus of liberal media pundits fawning over Hillary Clinton’s recent arrival on Twitter, raving that the former Secretary of State has “graced us all, everyone is thrilled that she is now on Twitter.”
Wagner then got what she must have considered to be the scoop of a lifetime:
CLINTON: But we have definitely talked about her tweets. She either just has sent or will soon send her third.
Well at this point, the Now host couldn’t hold her excitement, exclaiming “you heard it here first!” I can’t say it’s atypical of Wagner – or any pundit over at the Lean Forward network – to follow a liberal’s tweets more obsessively than real news, but we probably shouldn’t expect any less from MSNBC.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Wagner feverishly kept hitting “refresh” on her Twitter app immediately after the interview in hopes of catching the elusive third tweet.
See the relevant transcript below:
MSNBC
Now with Alex Wagner
06/14/13
12:30 p.m. Eastern
ALEX WAGNER: Joining me now is Chelsea Clinton of the Clinton Global Initiative. Chelsea, welcome to the program.
CHELSEA CLINTON: Thank you, Alex.
WAGNER: Thanks for coming on. And congratulations on having an incredible – I mean, I feel like CGI is going to take over the world. At one point it will be renamed CGI Earth because of the extent to which you guys are involved in so many places around the world – and doing really important work, I might add.
CLINTON: Well, thank you. I think there is so much vibrancy this year. And I think one of the reasons there’s so much vibrancy is not only because it is a beautiful day here in Chicago. But also because people now a coming together, not only to make new commitments but talking about the work that the already have done together across the private sector and the philanthropic sector and public sector. There's nothing that is more invigorating than real progress. And I know you saw some of that in Baltimore.
(...)
WAGNER: When we talk about women's participation and women's involvement in the world, I must bring up the fact that your mother – she graced us all, everyone is thrilled that she is now on Twitter. She has, in my humble opinion, one of the best Twitter bios on the Twittersphere. Were you involved in the writing of that Twitter bio, and did you counsel her? Sometimes people get on Twitter and they sort of think that they just need to crunch words together and take the vowels out and that's how you write a 140-character message. No, there is a sort of modus operandi on Twitter. Have you been advising her at all, given your status as, I think, one of the world's 140 best tweeters.
CLINTON: Oh, gosh. I deserve no credit at all on her biography. That was completely her own doing.
WAGNER: Really?
CLINTON: But we have definitely talked about her tweets. She either just has sent or will soon send her third.
WAGNER [excitedly]: You heard it here first!
CLINTON: She still treats them all with this kind of great – so much thought goes into them. I think that's so sweet as her daughter, because everything that she's ever done in her life has been so, kind of, deliberate and intentional and full of so much energy and effort. But I hope she can also relax a little bit and enjoy, kind of, the cadence of Twitter, of every once in awhile just responding to things.
WAGNER: Right. Just hashtag Real Talk. You know?
CLINTON: Exactly. So, she'll get there.
WAGNER: In an interview early today, you were talking about women needing more public role models. This is, I think, the fifth anniversary of your mother's shattering the glass ceiling speech. Do you think we need – and I'm not naming names – do you think we need a woman in the White House? Do you think America needs to sort of achieve that milestone being the leader in the globe that we are today?
CLINTON: I think that we need women role models everywhere. I think that it's really hard to imagine yourself as something that you don't see. I think it is great that you have your own show. There are going to be more little girls who think that they can grow up one day and have their own show on television – because of you. Like I think that we need more movies made about women who are rock star scientists, and more television shows made about women who are explorers and not just men who are traipsing off into the jungles. And absolutely, we need wome who are at the head of a boardroom, like at the head of the White House, at the head of major scientific enterprises, so that little girls everywhere can think you know what? I can do that, I want to do that, I will do that.
WAGNER: Before we go, Chelsea, speaking of traipsing off into the – global voyager. You just came back from Burma, which is a place that I hold dear to my heart. How was that trip for you?
CLINTON: It was really inspiring. I mean there clearly is such a sense of we now can write our own future. And we at the Clinton foundation want to do whatever we can to help the Burmese people write the future that they want for themselves and their children. And so, we're going to with them on areas of public health, and we're going to encourage some of our CGI members to make commitments that can really help hopefully kind of ricochet forward some progress in health and development more broadly, and education. It is certainly a place that's really close to our family's heart, too. I mean, given my mom's relationship with Aung San Suu Kyi, it is very much a family commitment that we are making to Burma.
WAGNER: I would like to suggest that you take an extra large rolly bag that I can stuff myself into.
CLINTON [laughing]: Anytime.
WAGNER: If you are looking to adopt older people, I would like to volunteer. If not, we'll just wait until CGI Earth and I will continue to be a global citizen following your moves. Thank you so much Chelsea Clinton. CGI. Congrats on all the work.
