Late Tuesday night, the “big three” broadcast networks were trapped between a rock and a hard place. ABC, CBS, and NBC found themselves begrudgingly praising First Lady Melania Trump’s 2020 RNC speech. And while they did plenty of that, they found an escape hatch by using her speech to broadly attack all the speakers before her on Monday and Tuesday.
That said, there was one outlandish attack. Seconds after she concluded, NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt complained that she condemned “the violence and looting being done in the name of justice” because, in his eyes, that’ll offend protesters.
Here’s what Holt said in full:
She also talked about race, that we're not proud of parts of our history. She may have raised eyebrows when she talked about the need to stop looting in the name of justice. There will be those who will take offense to that who are in the streets protesting, not necessarily looting.
Huh? What about any number claims that violence was necessary and even reparations? For two recent examples, there was this from a Chicago BLM leader and Monday night in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It’s a safe bet that those protesting in the streets and not looking to commit violence would agree that behavior is, at minimum, unhelpful.
At any rate, the dominant theme was, again, their ability to wiggle out of having to just praise the First Lady to instead make it an attack on the President and the RNC itself.
On CBS, 60 Minutes correspondent John Dickerson used Mrs. Trump offering condolences to the families of those lost in the coronavirus pandemic to call into question the heart of those in the Trump administration:
It was interesting that she said to the families of COVID victims you are not alone. That’s not a message — that message of empathy for those who have suffered, the families of almost 180,000 dead in America, that’s not been a primary message of the White House. It was part of her opening remarks tonight.
ABC was perhaps the most contorted and pained in trying to find a way to turn the RNC back into a negative.
Here were attempts by chief anchor George Stephanopoulos, senior congressional correspondent Mary Bruce, and World News Tonight anchor David Muir to use Trump’s speech to knock the RNC writ large for a lack of focus on the coronavirus, empathy, and racism (click “expand”):
STEPHANOPOULOS: It was a personal speech, warm in places, but also had a tone of quiet defiance. The First Lady speaking unlike many of the other speakers at this convention when she referred to the coronavirus, she actually called it COVID-19, the proper term, did not refer to it as the China virus and spoke to all the people suffering, saying, you are not alone. She also spoke to those struggling with addiction, asking them to seek help, uncharacteristically talked about the racial unrest in this country as well in a way different from so many other speakers at this convention. She talked about the moments of American history we’re not necessarily proud of, how we have to learn from that history as we focus on the future. Also called on every American to pause and consider the perspectives of one another. Clearly, she was speaking to the women of America. She talked to the moms directly, calling them warriors and defended her husband in uncompromising terms. Mary Bruce, it was a scene unlike any other we've seen in this White House and we've said that so many times before.
BRUCE: It is still just remarkable. You know, we can hear the applause here behind us, but just to see the First Lady in this setting, delivering this speech and she did deliver on what was promised. This was an uplifting, forward-looking speech. The First Lady making many appeals to women, to families in this country, especially during this uncertain time. I was struck by how much of this speech was really about Melania Trump, making the case for what she would do with another four years in the White House, hitting over and over again on the causes that are most dear to her heart, fighting for children, trying to tackle addiction going forward and abuse....You didn't hear so many of those anecdotes, but what you did hear was her coming very, you know, fiercely but also subtly in her own way, to her husband's defense. Making a forceful case for him in a way that really only she can.
(....)
MUIR: [S]he did something that the other speakers, the first two nights of the convention, did not do, she spoke at length about what we're seeing in this country, the racial unrest....She said she’s reflected on the racial unrest in our country and as you mentioned, George, she urged citizens of this country to take a pause and actually think about that from other people's perspectives. She said stop the violence and looting, terms we’ve heard over the past couple of nights, and she said never make assumptions about people based on the color of their skin and as you mentioned, George, she — she talked about coronavirus, COVID-19, obviously, but she said, I have sympathy for everyone who’s lost a loved one[.]
(....)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Linsey Davis, the section on race was, I think, in some of the ways, most striking part of the speech, especially when she talked about the past and learning from the past, of course, we're reminded that the President, on many occasions, has praised the Confederate flag and gotten in the middle of that entire controversy.
Back on NBC, Holt led into his hot take by conceding “at least the first half” of the First Lady’s speech “was apolitical, very supportive” of the President and “acknowledged the pain and — and suffering and deaths caused by COVID.”
And other than agreeing with Holt about looting, longtime NBCer Andrea Mitchell was effusive in praising the speech as “much more political and policy oriented than I had expected,” “spoke more about that than anybody else and more about race than anybody else tonight,” and contained “a great deal of spirit.”
These tortured reactions to the First Lady’s speech was made possible by advertisers such as ADT (on CBS), Ford (on ABC), Nature’s Bounty (on ABC), Progressive (on NBC), Salonpas (on CBS), and Volkswagen (on NBC). Follow the links to the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcripts from August 25, click “expand.”
ABC’s The Republican National Convention -- Your Voice/Your Vote 2020
August 25, 2020
11:07 p.m. EasternGEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: First lady Melania Trump there in the Rose Garden, wrapping up her speech to the Republican National Convention. Something that's never happened before right there, will now be greeted by her husband, who sat quietly, beaming through that whole 20-minute speech. It was a personal speech, warm in places, but also had a tone of quiet defiance. The First Lady speaking unlike many of the other speakers at this convention when she referred to the coronavirus, she actually called it COVID-19, the proper term, did not refer to it as the China virus and spoke to all the people suffering, saying, you are not alone. She also spoke to those struggling with addiction, asking them to seek help, uncharacteristically talked about the racial unrest in this country as well in a way different from so many other speakers at this convention. She talked about the moments of American history we’re not necessarily proud of, how we have to learn from that history as we focus on the future. Also called on every American to pause and consider the perspectives of one another. Clearly, she was speaking to the women of America. She talked to the moms directly, calling them warriors and defended her husband in uncompromising terms. Mary Bruce, it was a scene unlike any other we've seen in this White House and we've said that so many times before.
MARY BRUCE: It is still just remarkable. You know, we can hear the applause here behind us, but just to see the First Lady in this setting, delivering this speech and she did deliver on what was promised. This was an uplifting, forward-looking speech. The First Lady making many appeals to women, to families in this country, especially during this uncertain time. I was struck by how much of this speech was really about Melania Trump, making the case for what she would do with another four years in the White House, hitting over and over again on the causes that are most dear to her heart, fighting for children, trying to tackle addiction going forward and abuse and also struck by what was not really included in this speech. You know, so often when you hear from the First Lady, it's a chance to share personal anecdotes about the President, to show a side of him that maybe the public doesn't know, to speak about him as a family man. You didn't hear so many of those anecdotes, but what you did hear was her coming very, you know, fiercely but also subtly in her own way, to her husband's defense. Making a forceful case for him in a way that really only she can.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Yeah, Mary Bruce, thank you very much. David Muir, there's no question about that, also again, not a terribly political speech in most places, but those two references to the other side kind of discordant.
DAVID MUIR: Absolutely. She said, I'm not going to speak about the other side, as other speakers have, but I think what you saw, George, was her independent streak on full display tonight. As you mentioned, she did something that the other speakers, the first two nights of the convention, did not do, she spoke at length about what we're seeing in this country, the racial unrest. She acknowledged that in her trip to Africa that she heard stories about the slave trade, that she was deeply moved on it. She said she’s reflected on the racial unrest in our country and as you mentioned, George, she urged citizens of this country to take a pause and actually think about that from other people's perspectives. She said stop the violence and looting, terms we’ve heard over the past couple of nights, and she said never make assumptions about people based on the color of their skin and as you mentioned, George, she — she talked about coronavirus, COVID-19, obviously, but she said, I have sympathy for everyone who’s lost a loved one, I know you are anxious, you're not alone. She said, my husband will not stop fighting. These were two areas that we heard not as much from, if at all, from the other members of the Trump family, as Mary said, few personal anecdotes, she didn't offer personal anecdotes either, but this was a defense of her husband and a plea for four more years from the people who elected him the first time.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Linsey Davis, the section on race was, I think, in some of the ways, most striking part of the speech, especially when she talked about the past and learning from the past, of course, we're reminded that the President, on many occasions, has praised the Confederate flag and gotten in the middle of that entire controversy.
LINSEY DAVIS: I thought it was interesting and unique when she talked specifically about going to west Africa and experiencing and hearing the stories about what happened. She talked about how her husband has given money to HBCUs. I think that this was uniquely her voice, which was probably very intentional also because she wanted to shy away from the controversy from the last time she spoke at a Republican National Convention. It seemed to me that she was really trying to make an appeal not only to the suburban mothers, but also to immigrants. We did, while she wasn't so personal about her husband and giving the anecdotes about her — about him, she really did want to portray him as a fighter, as a leader, as somebody who was honest, but then did give her own personal story as far as being an immigrant and growing up in communist Slovenia — Slovenia and really coming to America as, like, the land of opportunity and her path to citizenship. And then at the end, she said, I have a special message for the mothers. Of course, we know that Vice President Biden leads by 13 points with suburban women compared to Trump, so, it’ll be remain [sic] to be seen if that appeal helps her husband.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Biggest speech of her life. Linsey Davis, thanks very much.
—
CBS News: 2020 America Decides: Republican Convention
August 25, 2020
11:07 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: And there the First Lady of the United States speaking for 25 minutes in prime time, talking about her gratitude to health care workers who are on the front lines of the COVID crisis, as well as her own “Be Best” campaign and her travels around the world and the country and her initiatives. There are at least 50 people in the Rose Garden, by some estimates almost 100, gathered in the Rose Garden. People vote — invited by the Republican National Committee, tested using White House doctors in order to make sure that those are safe there and, John, this was — first ladies always speak at conventions. They're offered an opportunity to offer insight that no one else has on the President.
JOHN DICKERSON: She — and she really talked a lot about her experiences, wide ranging, that she's had in the job. She testified to how hard he works. It was interesting that she said to the families of COVID victims you are not alone. That’s not a message — that message of empathy for those who have suffered, the families of almost 180,000 dead in America, that’s not been a primary message of the White House. It was part of her opening remarks tonight.
O’DONNELL: And Reince, quickly, does a speech like this gain any new voters, new support for the President?
REINCE PRIEBUS: Again, it — it goes to all the people out there that were there for the President in the beginning, very strong opening. I agree with John, addressing COVID with empathy and the close is strong, talking about the accomplishments of her husband and President of the United States.
—
NBC Republican National Convention
August 25, 2020
11:07 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: First Lady Melania Trump completing about almost a half-hour long speech, being greeted by the President now. This taking place in the Rose Garden, newly renovated Rose Garden, a speech that at least the first half was largely apolitical, very supportive, obviously, of her husband. She acknowledged the pain and — and suffering and deaths caused by COVID and extended her thoughts to those affected by it. She also talked about race, that we're not proud of parts of our history. She may have raised eyebrows when she talked about the need to stop looting in the name of justice. There will be those who will take offense to that who are in the streets protesting, not necessarily looting.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: And she got some — some chuckles when she said, with Donald Trump, you get what you get, you know what you get, you know what he's thinking, like it or not. Andrea Mitchell was watching and we see the first couple walking down the colonnade towards presumably the White House residence. Your take on the speech?
ANDREA MITCHELL: I thought it was much more political and policy oriented than I had expected. You expect the praise for her husband and wanting four more years, but speaking about race and in a controversial way as Lester said in part, she referred to COVID-19. She didn't call it the China virus, and spoke more about that than anybody else and more about race than anybody else tonight has, about the racial unrest and the history of slavery. So, I thought it was not what we expected and much more substantive from a very low profile First Lady. Despite Be Best, she is not very public. She’s gone on trips with her husband and several on her own. She referred to the trip to Africa, but she is not nearly as active as some predecessors. But this is a great tradition of first ladies speaking at these conventions, started with Eleanor Roosevelt in 1940 and then picked up with Pat Nixon in 1972 and every First Lady since. And there have been some really memorable speeches. Nancy Reagan comes to mind. I'm also thinking of Nancy Reagan's final speech to the Republican convention in 1996 after they left office after her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and they revealed that and it was one of the most poignant teary-eyed speeches. The entire Republican convention was weeping as she talked about Ronald Reagan's last farewell. This didn't have that emotion, but it certainly had a great deal of spirit.
