During his latest phone-in interview Tuesday morning, Donald Trump appeared on NBC’s Today where co-host Savannah Guthrie attempted to convince Trump that former President Bill Clinton’s extramarital affairs (and specifically what occurred with Monica Lewinsky) were merely “alleged” and thus might not be fair to bring up in a campaign involving Hillary Clinton.
Soon after, however, Guthrie must have realized she had committed the blunder and immediately went along with Trump in pointing out that Clinton did eventually own up (to what happened with Lewinsky).
The interview started off with Guthrie alluding to Trump’s tweet about the former President being called a racist in the 2008 campaign and wanted to know if Trump thought Clinton was a racist since “I know you choose your words carefully.”
Trump responded that he wasn’t and really “he was called that by the Obama campaign” and “was extremely insulted.” Nonetheless, Guthrie argued that since “you circulated it to 5.4 million followers,” it would “suggest you approve” of this characterization.
Moments later, the phone interview turned to what Trump had ruled in another tweet as Clinton’s “terrible record of women abuse” with Guthrie asking Trump to elaborate on what he meant:
GUTHRIE: I wondered if you could get specific about that. What do you mean? what are you referring to in particular?
TRUMP: Well, if you look at the different situations, of course, we can name many of them, I can get you a list and I'll have it sent to your office in two seconds, but there were certainly a lot of abuse of women, and you look at whether it's Monica Lewinsky or Paula Jones or many of them, and that certainly will be fair game, certainly if they play the woman's card with respect to me. That will be fair game.
It was at that point Guthrie committed her slip-up in dubbing Clinton’s affairs as “alleged” and Trump quickly responded by correcting her:
GUTHRIE: You mentioned Monica Lewinsky. Are you saying an alleged extramarital affair, that, of course, he has now admitted, is that fair game in a campaign?
TRUMP: It's not alleged. I don't think that's alleged.
GUTHRIE: No, he's admitted it. He’s admitted it.
TRUMP: Well, if he's admitted it. You don't have to use the word alleged.
After having vaguely referred to Clinton’s sexual improprieties on Monday’s Good Morning America as “alleged sexual misconduct and infidelity,” ABC News congressional correspondent Mary Bruce dropped the “alleged” description for her segment on Tuesday’s GMA and briefly aired the now-famous clip of Clinton hugging Lewinsky in 1996.
For an electorate that will contain droves voters born in the early to mid-1990s, the media’s continued assumption that the American public either lived through or have been taught in school about American politics in the ‘90's stands as a disservice and another sign of their liberal slant.
(h/t: Washington Examiner)
The transcript of the interview from NBC’s Today on December 29 can be found below.
NBC’s Today
December 29, 2015
7:12 a.m. Eastern
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: He's on the phone. Mr. Trump, good morning. Good to talk to you as always.
DONALD TRUMP: Good morning.
GUTHRIE: Let me start with this latest tweet that you have talking about Bill Clinton. You said that he had failed badly in the 2008 campaign when he acted as a surrogate for his wife, and you added he was called a racist. I know you choose your words carefully. Are you yourself calling him a racist?
TRUMP: No, he was called that by the Obama campaign. He was called it loud and clear. He was extremely insulted
GUTHRIE: Why did you put it in your tweet if you don't believe it?
TRUMP: They said it. I didn't call him a racist.
GUTHRIE: I know, but you circulated it to 5.4 million followers, so that would suggest you approve of it.
TRUMP: All I said is what they said, Savannah. That's what they said. They called him a racist. I don't believe he is a racist, if you want to know the truth, but they called him a racist. It was a miserable campaign. He did very poorly, and they’re bringing him out again. He's being wheeled out, and we're going to see what happens, but frankly he did very, very poorly. He was not good for her, and obviously she lost to Obama, and that was the end of that, but they brought him how the before.
GUTHRIE: You also said that he has — this is a different tweet, quote, “a terrible record of women abuse,” and I wondered if you could get specific about that. What do you mean? what are you referring to in particular?
TRUMP: Well, if you look at the different situations, of course, we can name many of them, I can get you a list and I'll have it sent to your office in two seconds, but there were certainly a lot of abuse of women, and you look at whether it's Monica Lewinsky or Paula Jones or many of them, and that certainly will be fair game, certainly if they play the woman's card with respect to me. That will be fair game.
GUTHRIE: You mentioned Monica Lewinsky. Are you saying an alleged extramarital affair, that, of course, he has now admitted, is that fair game in a campaign?
TRUMP: It's not alleged. I don't think that's alleged.
GUTHRIE: No, he's admitted it. He’s admitted it.
TRUMP: Well, if he's admitted it. You don't have to use the word alleged.
GUTHRIE: Right, exactly. Are you saying an extra marital affair by Bill Clinton is fair game and something that you think should be talking about in the campaign?
TRUMP: What I'm saying is very simple. If she is going to play the woman card because I'll do more for women than Hillary Clinton is going to do for women, including the safety of our country which is good for everybody, but if she's going to play, which she started about a week ago, talking about oh, he mentioned and, you know, the whole thing, playing up the woman's card very, very strongly, and if she's going to play that game and if he's going to be out there campaigning, then he's certainly fair game, and I think just about everybody agrees with me on that. This is a person who, you know, he's going to be out, and I like the fact that he's campaigning for her. He failed in 2008. He failed really badly. He frankly did a very poor job in campaigning, if you want to know the truth, and perhaps he'll do well or perhaps he'll do poorly, but if she's going to play the woman card it's all fair game.
GUTHRIE: You mentioned the Monica Lewinsky issue. In 2008 on CNN, you called the effort to impeach Bill Clinton for that “nonsense” and “totally unimportant.” Do you still feel that way, or have you had a change of heart?
TRUMP: Well, you know, I tell this to everybody. I got along as a what they — I'm dubbed as a world class businessman, which frankly that's what I am, and I got along with everybody. I got along with the Clintons. I got along with the Republicans, the Democrats, the liberals, the conservatives. That was my obligation. As a businessman, I had to get along with everybody, and I'll be able to do that as president. I'll be able to bring people together, but I got along with the Clintons and got along with everybody virtually because that was when I needed approvals, when I needed something from Washington, I always got what I wanted, and that's because I was able to get along with everybody, so —
GUTHRIE: You got along, but did you secretly not feel that way about them?
TRUMP: No, no, let me just tell you. When I was a businessman, I had an obligation to myself, my family, my company to get along with everybody and I did that probably better than most.
GUTHRIE: Alright. Mr. Trump, I'm out of time. We'll have to leave it there. Hope to talk to you again soon. Thank you so much.
TRUMP: Okay, thank you very much.
