ABC, CBS Pitch Hissy Fits Over Trump Joking About Staying in WH After 2028

Curtis Houck
November 13th, 2024 3:31 PM

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The broadcast networks all broke in Wednesday morning with special reports on President-Elect Donald Trump’s Oval Office meeting with outgoing President Joe Biden. But it was a comment Trump made earlier in the morning joking about staying in the White House longer than four years that left ABC and CBS bent out of shape.

Speaking to House Republicans at a nearby Washington D.C. hotel, Trump quipped (as per The Hill): “I suspect I won’t be running again, unless you do something. Unless you say, ‘He’s so good, we have to just figure it out.’”

This left CBS beside itself. 

Congressional correspondent Nikole Killion alluded to it, but it was CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell who was incensed, whining that only “some view that as a joke” and huffed that “Democrats or people that oppose President-Elect Trump would be concerned about a comment like that given the President-Elect has promised to be a dictator from day one”:

Over on ABC, Trump-hating correspondent Rachel Scott also alluded to it: “He also said that I suspect I won't be running again unless you say he's so good we've got to figure something else out. Multiple members inside that room told me that was intended to be a joke. That several people also chuckled in that room as well.”

ABC also had this pathetic use of a Special Report meant to focus on the second Trump transition and Biden’s exit. Of course, they’re still mourning the election results:

To see the relevant transcripts from November 13, click “expand.”

CBS News Special Report
November 13, 2024
11:24 a.m. Eastern

NIKOLE KILLION: He also appeared to joke he intends or does not intend to run again unless they “do something,” but in talking to Speaker Mike Johnston he may clear to me just yesterday this meeting was really an opportunity to congratulate the President-Elect and really celebrate his 
victory and this mandate of that Republican believe they now have as a result of the outcome of the election. In addition to those House elections, there are also, as you mentioned, the race underway for Senate majority leader. Just really remarkable the first time in some 18 years Senate Republicans will be electing a new leader. As you well know, Mitch McConnell has held onto that post as majority and minority leader in the Senate for that period of time. He stepped down from leadership earlier this year. And so, that race now underway to replace him between Senators John Thune, John Cornyn, and Florida Senator Rick Scott. So, that election now underway by secret ballot and the outcome of that will determine who leads Senate Republicans as they take the majority next year, Norah.

NORAH O’DONNELL: Nikole Killion on the Hill. Nikole pointing out that some view that as a joke when President-Elect said, “I suspect I won't be running again unless you do something else.” Of course Democrats or people that oppose President-Elect Trump would be concerned about a comment like that given the President-Elect has promised to be a dictator from day one. So, that would be an extraordinarily difficult thing to do to try and extend and be able to run for a third or fourth term to be in FDR, but he was joking about that as some believe up on Capitol Hill today.

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ABC News Special Report
November 13, 2024
11:22 a.m. Eastern

RACHEL SCOTT: He also said that I suspect I won't be running again unless you say he's so good we've got to figure something else out. Multiple members inside that room told me that was intended to be a joke. That several people also chuckled in that room as well.

(....)

11:23 a.m. Eastern

DAVID MUIR: Quite a split screen from 24 hours ago. I want to go back to this image from just yesterday, Vice President Kamala Harris returning to the White House for the first time to have lunch with president Biden. And she was greeted by hundreds of workers at the White House and the old Executive Office Building. Let's listen to that sound here for just a moment.

[ADMINISTRATION STAFF CHEERING AND CLAPPING]

MUIR: It happens every four years. There are winners and losers in these presidential elections. She thanked the team gathered there, and she said there is still a lot of work to get done, but that she was grateful for their support. Mary Bruce, any reporting on the lunch between President Biden and the Vice President. The words that they might have shared?

MARY BRUCE: Yeah, this private meeting between the two of them, this luncheon, the first really extended time that the President and the Vice President have had alone together since the election. The White House, not surprisingly, not reading out too many details of that. This was a private conversation between the two of them. The Vice President we know is back at work. She's meeting, we are told, with staff and aides today. She notably is not a part of this Oval Office meeting today. You can imagine that would have been a bit uncomfortable. And the White House stressing today is really about a chance for the President and the President-Elect to meet. But it was hard not to look at those images yesterday and see that she clearly was touched by the outpouring of support from her staff and yet stressing there's still a lot of work to do. 

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