Though not as bombastic as ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today still made their point Friday about how they viewed President Trump’s Thursday speech at the Republican National Convention, crediting him for his vivid retelling of Saturday’s assassination attempt and the tribute to the late Corey Comperatore, then knocking him for “riffing” and “repeating...grievances, conspiracies, and insults”.
Co-host Savannah Guthrie said in a tease that Trump gave an “emotional description of that attempted assassination” before throwing “fiery red meat” to “the party faithful” then later offered the same notes in tossing to senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson.
“[I]n many ways, it was also a tale of two speeches with the former President returning to the controversial rhetoric more familiar to his campaign remarks, even after promising a departure from the divisions he had a hand in stoking. But at the outset of that 93-minutes speech, he positioned himself as a unifier, describing in dramatic detail, the attempted assassination against him,” Jackson began.
Jackson at least spent some time on Trump discussing Saturday’s horror before pivoting to him “riffing, rally style, off script, repeating the grievances, conspiracies and insulting characteristic of his campaign speeches” and delivering “ominous warnings” (click “expoand”):
JACKSON: In his first speech after the assassination attempt against him —
[TRUMP CLIP]
JACKSON: — Mr. Trump, his ear still bandaged, recounting the moment he was shot Saturday in Pennsylvania, surrounded by images from that day, tears streaming down the faces of some in the crowd —
[TRUMP CLIP]
JACKSON: — the former President kissing the helmet of Corey Comperature, the firefighter who died at the rally protecting his family before a moment of silence and later, displaying the chart Mr. Trump had turned to see on the rally stage, a move he credited with saving his life.
[TRUMP CLIP]
JACKSON: But despite the former President’s pledge to deliver a more unifying message after the shooting, only a brief nod —
[TRUMP CLIP]
JACKSON: — before riffing, rally style, off script, repeating the grievances, conspiracies and insulting characteristic of his campaign speeches —
[FIVE TRUMP CLIPS]
JACKSON: Mr. Trump, in the longest campaign speech ever, issuing ominous warnings —
[TRUMP CLIP]
JACKSON: — repeating his election fraud lies and slamming Democrats, though notably only mentioning President Biden by name briefly.
[TRUMP CLIP]
In the analysis portion, Guthrie told Jackson that the RNC “was...really interesting...because it really — I was so struck by the way convention organizers seem to be pulling off a real softing of Donald Trump” until Thursday with “Hulk Hogan ripping off his shirt”, “Kid Rock and the crowds yelling, fight,” and Trump’s stemwinder of a speech that “many, many, many people love, but he’s trying to reach across and get new voters.”
Jackson agreed and said this signaled the belief in the Trump camp to boost base enthusiasm so their “loyalists...show up” so “then maybe they don’t need quite as many of those independent, suburban, swing state voters as well.”
NBC’s Biden coverage was far more contained, but was still devastating.
Guthrie framed Biden’s problem in existential terms: “President Biden in isolation with Covid, facing the biggest decision of his political career: Carry on with the campaign or bow out amid mounting and relentless pressure from prominent Democrats?”
Senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez said from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware that “[t]he political ground seems to have shifted” and “[t]here’s been a distinct change in the last 24 hours” with it being “simply not clear how the next few days will play out.”
Gutierrez noted that while the public posture of the Biden campaign is full speed ahead, a source told the network that “we’re close to the end” of its existence.
“This morning, in self-isolation as he recovers from Covid, President Biden is also growing more isolated politically,” Gutierrez added.
In a shot to Biden that he’s not the leader of the party, Gutierrez said “anxiety among Democrats reaching the top of the party,” citing former President Obama and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA).
Guthrie and Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker weren’t any less charitable (click “expand”):
GUTHRIE: The many, many Democrats that you talked to think it’s all but done. Although, apparently he has not made that decision.
WELKER: That’s right. It’s not done until he makes that final decision, if he does. There is an air of inevitability, though, right now given that you have these mounting calls both publicly and privately. Jon Tester becoming the second U.S. Senator to call on him to step down. I am told that he is increasingly reflective. He’s obviously in Rehoboth with his family as he recovers from Covid, but I’m also told he’s increasingly resentful of this pile-on, and it underscoring the divisions in the party.
GUTHRIE: Yeah. And his circle of advisers has reportedly gotten narrower and narrower —
WELKER: Yeah.
GUTHRIE: — and it wasn’t exactly wide to start with.
WELKER: Well, exactly. And this is part of the concern with the Democratic Party that he hasn’t been given the full picture that shows he’s increasingly trailing former President Trump nationally and in key battleground states as well. So, what’s happening though is those conversations are becoming more realistic, I’m told.
Despite rehasing much of his report from the first hour, Gutierrez dropped the w-word in the second hour: “The walls seemingly closing in on his campaign.”
To see the relevant transcripts from July 19, click here (for Trump coverage) and here (for Biden coverage).
