This is the closest Brian Williams will ever get to having a Pulitzer Prize: talking about them. Wrapping up Tuesday’s The 11th Hour on MSNBC, Williams joked with a hint of seriousness on the day the Pulitzers were awarded that the Trump presidency is known as “the 2017 Full Employment Act for Journalists.”
“Today, they were rewarded by their peers despite what the President may say about them when The 11th Hour continues,” Williams added.
The snide factor escalated after the commercial break as Williams smirked that Monday “was a big day for the enemies of the American people, that, you may recall, is what you may remember Donald Trump called us as members of the press.”
Alluding to the Pulitzers and giving a boost to the media’s swooning self-congratulations, Williams ruled that “as we go through the titles today, we will use the titles the President of the United States has already given them.”
“Let's start with the “failing The New York Times.” They had a big day, winners in international and featuring reporter and breaking news photography. The “dummies at the ever-dwindling” Wall Street Journal won for commentary — Peggy Noonan specifically,” Williams explained.
He then concluded with two more outlets and their Trump adjectives:
The “dying and dishonest” New York Daily News won in the public service journalist category, and the “phoney Washington Post,” specifically their “nasty” David Fahrenthold won for national reporting and especially his reporting on Donald Trump.
Needless to say, this self-gratification and snarkiness by the disgraced, lying ex-NBC Nightly News anchor didn’t do anything to heal the divide between the American people and the news media.
Earlier, Williams began the show by gleefully touting the President’s low approval ratings and throwing cold water on their rise since the U.S. air strikes in Syria. He failed to note how much of this has been concocted and escalated by the media to the point that they can claim scalps and declare victory, but he nonetheless hyped:
But even with his overall approval on the rise, the negatives from the past 81 days have piled up. False claims about inauguration crowd size, combative press briefings starting on day one, alternative facts. The Mike Flynn firing after he lied about meeting with Russia's ambassador, the President's travel ban, blocked not once but twice, Trump's explosive phone call with the Australian Prime Minister, of all people, Jeff Sessions having to recuse himself on Russia. The President's wiretap claims and the ensuing Devin Nunes saga over intelligence sharing, the meetings with Trump confidants and Russians coming to light. A crushing legislative defeat on health care reform. Reports of infighting inside the White House. That's a basic list to date.
Williams even found a way to go even further in his bidding of the Democratic National Committee, by entertaining the notion that Neil Gorsuch is already tarnished as a jurist.
“Even the President's biggest achievement, the swearing in of a Supreme Court Justice, which happened today in the Rose Garden, is tarnished in the eyes of his critics after the Senate had to quite literally rewrite the rules to get his man confirmed,” Williams ruled.
Here’s the relevant portions of the transcript from MSNBC’s The 11th Hour with Brian Williams on April 10:
MSNBC’s The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
April 10, 2017
11:02 p.m. Eastern
BRIAN WILLIAMS: But the President's poll numbers have seemingly been helped by the past few days, which included those air strikes, a summit with China's President, and a slowdown on damaging headlines about Russia. A new CBS poll puts the President's approval rating at 43 percent, but break that down by party and the polarization of the country is on full display here. Thumbs-up on Trump's job approval from 83 percent of Republicans, only 11 percent of Democrats, and 42 percent of independents, interestingly. But even with his overall approval on the rise, the negatives from the past 81 days have piled up. False claims about inauguration crowd size, combative press briefings starting on day one, alternative facts. The Mike Flynn firing after he lied about meeting with Russia's ambassador, the President's travel ban, blocked not once but twice, Trump's explosive phone call with the Australian Prime Minister, of all people, Jeff Sessions having to recuse himself on Russia. The President's wiretap claims and the ensuing Devin Nunes saga over intelligence sharing, the meetings with Trump confidants and Russians coming to light. A crushing legislative defeat on health care reform. Reports of infighting inside the White House. That's a basic list to date. Even the President's biggest achievement, the swearing in of a Supreme Court Justice, which happened today in the Rose Garden, is tarnished in the eyes of his critics after the Senate had to quite literally rewrite the rules to get his man confirmed.
(....)
11:55 p.m. Eastern [TEASE]
WILLIAMS: We have called the Trump administration the 2017 Full Employment Act for Journalists. Today, they were rewarded by their peers despite what the President may say about them when The 11th Hour continues.
(....)
11:59 p.m. Eastern
WILLIAMS: Last thing before we go here tonight. This was a big day for the enemies of the American people, that, you may recall, is what you may remember Donald Trump called us as members of the press. For our colleagues in print journalism today, was a big day, the Pulitzers were awarded. And as we go through the titles today, we will use the titles the President of the United States has already given them. Let's start with the “Failing The New York Times.” They had a big day, winners in international and featuring reporter and breaking news photography. The “dummies at the ever-dwindling” Wall Street Journal won for commentary — Peggy Noonan specifically. The “dying and dishonest” New York Daily News won in the public service journalist category, and the “phoney Washington Post,” specifically their “nasty” David Fahrenthold won for national reporting and especially his reporting on Donald Trump.
