Oh how time can change things. A month before the election, the media was in a frenzy over Donald Trump seemingly “refusing” to say he would “accept” the results of the election, if he lost, (which the media was certain he would.) But less than a month after the election, the media, and networks in particular have shown their hypocrisy in now giving a pass to Democrats who are demanding a recount in several states. On Monday’s morning shows, the networks downplayed the recount, barely mentioning it, while spending most of their time hyping Trump’s tweets rebuking the recount and voter fraud, instead.
On NBC’s Today, anchor Matt Lauer opened by blasting Trump as a “sore winner:”
MATT LAUER: Sore winner? Donald Trump now claiming voter fraud cost him the popular vote, this just hours after hammering Hillary Clinton for backing recount efforts in key swing states. But is there any proof of illegal voting, and at this point, does any of it really matter?
After going on about Trump’s tweets on the matter, NBC finally got to the reason for the tweets. Correspondent Hallie Jackson noted that Trump was “seemingly irritated” by the election recount started by the Green Party’s Jill Stein and joined in by Hillary Clinton. Matt Lauer emphasized that this recount was really no big deal, asking, “[W]hat's the likelihood it happens and what's the likelihood it makes any difference?”
Jackson responded by calling any changes resulting “extraordinarily slim.” Over on Good Morning America, ABC also spent the majority of the time criticizing Trump for criticizing the recount and making claims about voter fraud. Anchor George Stephanopoulos asked analyst Matt Dowd:
STEPHANOPOULOS: [M]atthew Dowd, start out with that claim, baseless claim, that millions voted illegally, so extraordinary given the fact that he won the election complaining about voter fraud in an election he won!
Correspondent David Wright also blasted Trump for “complaining loudly” about the “last ditch effort” that was “unlikely” to change the final results.
But the networks sang a different tune when they were certain Trump was going to lose the election a few weeks before.
Going back to the October 20 Today show, NBC threw a fit over Trump’s less than enthusiastic answer during a debate over whether or not he would accept the results of the election if he lost. Anchor Matt Lauer led the show by hyping Trump “twice declining to accept the election’s outcome if he loses.” Hallie Jackson soon after blasted “top Republicans” who, she predicted would “have to answer” for Trump’s statement that “defied” “a defining principle of democracy.” Jackson then hounded Trump VP Mike Pence to answer the same question, while giving Clinton VP pick Tim Kaine a platform to blast Trump’s “shocking” statement. Even more hilarious, Jackson touted Clinton’s rebuke of Trump’s “horrifying” statement, while Clinton now joins the recount efforts, now that she lost.
ABC was no different. On October 20’s GMA, George Stephanopoulos hounded Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway repeatedly to answer for Trump’s statement. Amy Robach followed up by asking Kaine, “What kind of impact” does Trump “not committing to accepting the results of the election” have, with “less than three weeks to go?” ABC also touted Hillary Clinton’s criticism of Trump not “accepting” the results of the election that hadn’t happened yet. The next day GMA continued the hype with correspondent Cecilia Vega blasted Trump for “refusing to change his tune about accepting the results of the election.”
GMA even took the opportunity to rewrite history to lecture Trump. Stephanopoulos and Jon Karl fondly “remembered” how “patriotic” Al Gore “graciously” conceded the 2000 election to George W. Bush to lecture Trump about how he needed to “accept” the results of the imminent election.
When things didn’t go their way, the media now is more than fine with recounts and letting liberals take as long as they want to contest the results of the election.
