With her tenure as anchor of the CBS Evening News coming to a close, Norah O’Donnell is now unburdened by what is, and is now openly and brazenly editorializing ahead of reporter packages. Former President Donald Trump’s response to President Joe Biden calling Trump supporters ‘garbage” was simply too much for O’Donnell to countenance.
Watch as O’Donnell unleashes a whopper to open the newscast (emphases mine):
NORAH O’DONNELL: We are now six days out from Election Day. Nearly 60 million votes have already been cast in early in-person voting and through the mail. And the latest polls suggest the race cannot be tighter. Both campaigns are locking their focus on the battleground states. Vice President Kamala Harris rallied in North Carolina and Pennsylvania today and is in Wisconsin tonight. Former President Donald Trump was in North Carolina earlier, and tonight he is also in Wisconsin. He landed in Green Bay just a short time ago and then pulled this campaign stunt, speaking to reporters from a garbage truck, proof that he and his supporters are giving no grace to a gaffe by President Biden where he, in his explanation, inadvertently called Trump supporters “garbage”. This, of course, was in response to that racist joke about floating garbage told at a Trump rally just last weekend. Vice President Harris is distancing herself from the negativity, and trying to drive home her unifying message that if elected, she will represent all Americans.
This is the kind of over-the-top propagandizing that may well make both the North Korean anchor lady and ABC’s Mary Bruce say, “whoa, take it down a notch.”
First, there is O’Donnell’s rank dismissal of the garbage truck play as a “stunt”, which is language that is limited to describing the activities on one side of the aisle. Were a Democrat to do this, they’d be hailed for their strategic acumen and keen connection to the common folk. Trump doesn’t get that courtesy.
Then, there’s the line about giving no grace to Biden. How much more grace does Biden need, exactly, after having the Regime Media act as his Praetorian Guard for the last three and a half years? Biden got tons of grace in the form of non-coverage whenever he wandered off the stage at an event, shaking hands with empty air. Biden drew tons of grace from a Regime Media more interested in firefighting his scandals than performing journalism. Now contrast that with the media’s spread of every possible hoax and baseless rumor as pertained to Donald Trump. Suggesting that Biden unloading on Trump supporters was an inadvertent gaffe is an insult to the public’s intelligence.
Then, the cherry on top: O’Donnell pivoting to Vice President Kamala Harris’s efforts to “distance herself from the negativity”, and the description of her message as “unifying”. This kind of gross propaganda proves Jeff Bezos’ point about the public losing interest in the media.
O’Donnel then tossed to correspondent Robert Costa’s report on the Trump campaign, which featured the aforementioned garbage truck. But with that kind of editorial embedded into an intro, why even bother with a report?
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on the CBS Evening News on Wednesday, October 30th, 2024:
CBS EVENING NEWS
10/30/24
6:30 PM
NORAH O’DONNELL: Good evening. I'm Norah O'Donnell, and thank you for joining us. We are now six days out from Election Day. Nearly 60 million votes have already been cast in early in-person voting and through the mail. And the latest polls suggest the race cannot be tighter. Both campaigns are locking their focus on the battleground states. Vice President Kamala Harris rallied in North Carolina and Pennsylvania today and is in Wisconsin tonight. Former President Donald Trump was in North Carolina earlier, and tonight he is also in Wisconsin. He landed in Green Bay just a short time ago and then pulled this campaign stunt, speaking to reporters from a garbage truck, proof that he and his supporters are giving no grace to a gaffe by President Biden where he, in his explanation, inadvertently called Trump supporters “garbage”. This, of course, was in response to that racist joke about floating garbage told at a Trump rally just last weekend. Vice President Harris is distancing herself from the negativity, and trying to drive home her unifying message that if elected, she will represent all Americans. We have correspondents covering both campaigns, and we are going to start with CBS's Robert Costa in Green Bay, Wisconsin. And Robert, tell us what’s happening on the tarmac there.
ROBERT COSTA: Good evening, Norah. President Biden's comment continues to roil this presidential campaign in the final advent. Tonight, former President Trump is on the tarmac here in Green Bay, Wisconsin, climbing into a garbage truck. It's all about underscoring his argument that he stands with everyday Americans. Former President Donald Trump hit the trail in North Carolina, as Republicans sense a sudden opening to cast the Democrats as out of touch.
DONALD TRUMP: Look how they’ve treated you. They've treated you like garbage, frankly. They've treated you like garbage.
COSTA: Trump expressed outrage at comments made by President Biden, and took aim at Vice President Harris.
TRUMP: My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple: You can't lead America if you don't love Americans. You just can’t.
COSTA: Biden's remarks were made during a video call with Latino activists and sparked debate over what he meant.
JOE BIDEN: The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His- his- his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.
COSTA: Biden later clarified and said he was not calling Trump supporters “garbage”, saying “I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump's supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally.” As some Democrats privately expressed frustration that this episode is a distraction, Vice President Harris weighed in.
KAMALA HARRIS: He clarified his comments, but let me be clear. I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.
COSTA: Meanwhile, Trump's campaign filed a lawsuit in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, raising questions about the integrity of the voting process in a Philadelphia suburb that is a prized battleground in a key state. A state judge sided with the Trump campaign, extending an in-person voting option in Bucks County, where long lines on the final day led to complaints voters were being disenfranchised by an unprepared election office.
VOTER: I'm not blaming the Board of Elections. I believe that they should have been more prepared, that's all. It's a big election for people.
COSTA: Bucks County election officials say there was no intent to suppress any vote and are doing their best to keep up with intense voter interest. The Harris campaign is paying close attention to Bucks County as well. Top Democrats tell CBS News that if she wins Pennsylvania, it could come down to Bucks County. That is why she is reaching out to traditional Republicans, moderate Republicans in these final days. Norah.
O’DONNELL: Robert Costa, thank you.
