ABC Asleep: Wednesday’s ‘Good Morning America’ Skips GOP Midterm Convention

On Wednesday, ABC’s Good Morning America saw no interest in telling readers about this week’s Republican midterms convention, the first of its kind ushered in by President Trump seeking to put the spotlight on both his and the broader Republican record as voters head to the polls this fall.

It was a curious choice for Disney-owned ABC, which is under immense scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over the licenses for eight of its owned-and-operated affiliates and the status of The View as a “bona fide news program.”

Instead, the only mentions of President Trump came in the latest negative report about the Iran War, courtesy of liberal White House correspondent and Biden regime apple polisher, Mary Bruce:

NBC’s Today also had a report from the White House about the Iran War, but both Today and CBS Mornings found time for full reports from correspondents on-site at Dallas’s American Airlines Center, where the festivities were set to kick off late Wednesday afternoon.

“Choosin’ Texas, Republicans gather in Dallas today for the party’s first-ever midterm convention. Why? Trump hopes his presence in the reliably red state will energize voters in the midterms now less than two months away,” said Today co-host Savannah Guthrie in a tease.

Co-host Craig Melvin later told viewers this is “a first-of-its-kind political event” that’s “the brainchild of President Trump, who is set to speak on both nights.”

Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles reported from inside the arena that the President’s “hoping this two-day event will get” his base “to reengage” as polls have shown Trump’s “most-diehard supporters” as a “surprising area of fatigue.”

“In battleground Texas today, Republicans are hoping to make a bold statement with a first-of-its-kind midterm convention aimed at firing up voters...Republicans have never held a midterm convention before, but President Trump is counting on this event to spark excitement among his most diehard supporters,” he added.

Nobles conceded the tightrope some Republicans walk:

But while GOP candidates need Trump supporters to show up at the polls this November, they risk alienating moderate and independent voters who are increasingly skeptical of the President. A new NBC News poll shows Trump’s approval rating hovering around 36 percent, with 64 percent of voters saying they disapprove of the job he’s doing. Many Republicans, including some in pivotal swing districts, like Virginia’s Rob Wittman, don’t even plan to attend the event.

Later, he said, “Democrats aren’t doing very much to counter-program this event” except for “a response team” and “daily press conferences.”

“Their candidates are focused on their districts and on their states, and they aren’t all that upset about allowing President Trump and his low approval rating to steal the spotlight from their vulnerable Republican opponents,” he boasted.

CBS Mornings began its second hour with a live report from campaign and White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe down on the convention floor.

Co-host and Democratic donor Gayle King said this was “something very unusual” and worth asking, “What?”

“Republicans are gathering right now in Dallas for that two-day midterm convention, and they will hear a speech tonight from the President. He says the event will promote GOP candidates with less than two months to go before Election Day,” she added.

O’Keefe first acknowledged the similarities between this debut event and a traditional party convention: “The red carpet’s been rolled out. It’s got red, white and blue bunting. It says convention up there, and there are white seats over here for the President, and his family, and cabinet secretaries to sit. It looks like a presidential nominating convention, but it’s not.” 

He further explained it as “a 48-hour pep rally” with the President, Vice President, and “candidates in key contests across the country, including Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton,” who’s in need of a shot in the arm given he’s “trailing his Democratic opponent James Talarico in polling and in fundraising.” 

Like NBC’s Nobles, O’Keefe used the back end of the piece to summarize the headwinds:

Now the President also says he wants to see candidates from other key contests across the country, but CBS News has learned dozens, if not hundreds of lawmakers in those key states won’t be here or won’t tell us what their plans are for fear of upsetting the White House. All of that an acknowledgment the President and his sagging approval ratings, because of concerns about inflation and the war with Iran are a drag on their chances, which is 55 days ago, until Election Day. 

To see the relevant transcripts from September 9, click here (for CBS) and here (for NBC).