Along with New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay’s non-sense early Wednesday hours after the State of the Union, actor and comedian Sinbad joined MSNBC’s late-night coverage and slammed President Trump as a “fool” who “doesn’t feel anything” and carried out an “atrocious” government shutdown. He also added that he should have been given “a pimp slap” by Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“The shutdown, first of all, was atrocious. It was — what he did to the American people, what he did to his own people. What he did to our people....[I]t was unbelievable and he was trying to play that game of I'm bigger than you....and it didn't happen and I appreciate Nancy Pelosi and all those who stood strong,” Sinbad stated.
When asked about what he made of Nancy Pelosi’s condescending clap at President Trump at one point in his speech, Sinbad responded that the Speaker “know’s he’s a fool” and we “elected a fool as President,” so what Pelosi did “basically was like a pimp slap.”
As host Ari Melber and panelists Susan Del Percio, Mara Gay, and Jason Johnson giggled, Sinbad continued (click “expand”):
SINBAD: That was a — if I can get you, I would pimp slap the back of your head and that's what it was.
MELBER: Is that what you call that?
SINBAD: It’s a pimp slap.
MELBER: That's why — that’s why we're all here, to broaden the conversation and the vocabulary. The President certainly uses a lot of vocabulary.
Along with his past as a contestant on the Celebrity Apprentice, Sinbad noted that he worked for Trump back in the 1980s in Atlantic when him being “a con-artist...didn’t affect anybody” until “[h]e destroyed Atlantic City” even though “[h]e could have actually built something great there, but he jacked that up also because he’s not as good as he says he says.”
A few minutes after Sinbad predicted that the Trump presidency will “always be a black eye” on American history, Gay inquired about what he thinks should be done in “deal[ing] with a bully like Donald Trump.”
Providing a perfect illustration of the modern left, he responded by repudiating Michelle Obama’s insistence that “when they go low, we go high”:
If they go low, you snatch them down to where you're at because this is the kind of bully — this is the kind of bully that you have to fight. I’m glad we’re — people are fighting back, not realizing he became president because no one fought back. Everyone took their hands off and said, “hey I'm not going to take him serious.” Sometimes you have to — you have to tap back.
Sinbad closed out by informing viewers that Trump “doesn’t care what you say because he doesn't feel anything” and “no matter what you say about him, it just goes right through him” because he is like “teflon.”
“I'm glad they're investigating him. More investigations on that. I like when he speaks because all the dumbness comes out, so when he speaks, we get to pounce and — and show who he really is. I'm loving him talking. I'm loving these speeches,” he added before concluding with a condemnation of those who have voted for and support the President.
Go figure.
To the see the relevant transcript from MSNBC’s post-State of the Union coverage on February 6, click “expand.”
MSNBC Post-Address Special
February 6, 2019
1:42 a.m. EasternSINBAD: The shutdown, first of all, was atrocious. It was — what he did to the American people, what he did to his own people. What he did to our people, I travel all the time and I see all the TSA workers. First, it was unbelievable and he was trying to play that game of I'm bigger than you and you're going to — you’re going to tow down to me and it didn't happen and I appreciate Nancy Pelosi and all those who stood strong to say, no, we're not — we’re going to give you what you want. You’re not going to be this bully. This whole thing has been about being a bully. His whole — his whole format, his whole platform has been about being a don't hit me. I'll hit you, but don't hit me.
MELBER: Yeah and I want — you mentioned Speaker Pelosi. I want to play some of the reaction because, again, seeing how this plays out now so quickly in realtime on the internet, people were really reacting to the way she kind of had her shade. Take a look.
[TRUMP CLIP WITH PELOSI APPLAUSE]
MELBER: Our political panel is still here. Sinbad, what do you think of what she's doing there and do you think she knows how it's going to play across the internet in our culture?
SINBAD: Well, she knows he's a fool. We elected a fool as a President, and that basically was like a pimp slap. That was a — if I can get you, I would pimp slap the back of your head and that's what it was.
MELBER: Is that what you call that?
SINBAD: It’s a pimp slap.
MELBER: That's why — that’s why we're all here, to broaden the conversation and the vocabulary. The President certainly uses a lot of vocabulary.
(....)
1:46 a.m. Eastern
SINBAD: I worked for him back in the day. In the ‘80s, I worked for him in Atlantic City. He was always a con-artist but it didn't affect anybody. It was good for the casinos. He destroyed Atlantic City. He could have actually built something great there, but he jacked that up also because he’s not as good as he says he says. He’s — everything about him is fake, but he's a great con-man. I’ll give him this. He became President of the United States for what will always be a black eye to us because we picked a con-man. This country is a great country, but all the problems we have, if there's no hope here, there's no hope anywhere. Even people that hate us, it has to be smart and this was not a smart play.
MELBER: Mara?
GAY: Sinbad, Mara Gay here from The New York Times. Question for you. How do you deal with a bully like Donald Trump?
SINBAD: Well, you know what, I don't believe in that they go low, we go high. If they go low, you snatch them down to where you're at because this is the kind of bully — this is the kind of bully that you have to fight. I’m glad we’re — people are fighting back, not realizing he became president because no one fought back. Everyone took their hands off and said, “hey I'm not going to take him serious.” Sometimes you have to — you have to tap back.
(....)
1:48 a.m. Eastern
MELBER: Well, I was just going to ask Sinbad. I want to play — I want to show one more thing which is a Chris Murphy tweet which goes back to how you deal with Trump or as you call him a bully. Chris Murphy echoing him and saying “that was a low energy speech.” And on the one hand, you know, everyone on Twitter was like “oh, snap,” but on the other hand, doesn't that reinforce Donald Trump's messaging? Do you think that's the right way to deal with someone like that? You know a lot about — about one liners and how to get people focused.
SINBAD: See, here's the thing about Trump. He doesn't care what you say because he doesn't feel anything. He’s the kind of the guy that no matter what you say about him, it just goes right through him. Like, we say teflon. That's why you have to come at him hard. I'm glad they're investigating him. More investigations on that. I like when he speaks because all the dumbness comes out, so when he speaks, we get to pounce and — and show who he really is. I'm loving him talking. I'm loving these speeches.
MELBER: You are cause you think it opens up more — more vulnerabilities for him.
SINBAD: Well, it shows the people that voted for him, like, man, what did you vote for? How do you stand on this line still? How do you still stay on this side? How do you say I still support this if he's doing nothing for you or for the country for the people? How do you say I'm still with this man?
MELBER: Sinbad, you make it plain, so we like having you as part of our political coverage. Maybe we do this every State of the Union, I don't know.
SINBAD: I will do my next State of the Union when I run. I shouldn’t talk about it right now, but we will be gathering in Iowa.
