Monday, the networks were eager to bash President Trump for holding firm to his campaign promise of a border wall, as he includes it again in a budget proposal before Congress this morning. ABC’s reporters at Good Morning America were the most effusive in their disgust for Trump, admitting that they were hoping that Republicans would “stand up” and “embarrass” the president with a “rebuke” over border wall funding.
At GMA, anchor George Stephanopoulos laid the blame squarely on President Trump for the looming shutdown because of the impasse between Democrats and President Trump on border wall funding.
"President Trump is forcing a new showdown over his border wall. The president will release his new budget today. Upping the stakes after the longest government shutdown ever with a new request of nearly $9 billion for the wall,” he gushed, noting Democrats were calling the budget “dead on arrival.”
ABC didn’t put any responsibility on Democrats for refusing to compromise on the issue, as congressional correspondent Mary Bruce called out the president’s “priorities” in keeping a promise to his base:
"Look, the president’s budget is always aspirational, more than anything it tell you about the president's priorities. President Trump is making very clear to his conservative base he's not giving up on this fight. Even after he didn't get a single extra dollar during the shutdown fight," she snarked.
Bruce touted Chuck Schumer lecturing Trump, before she and Stephanopoulos hoped Republicans would get in on the blame game as well:
“Congress still dealing with the president’s emergency declaration. The White House working hard to stem Republican defections on that,” Stephanopoulos noted.
“Yeah, the White House this morning is clearly worried about this. They're trying to contain the number of Republicans who deliver what will be a rebuke to the president,” Bruce gushed, laying out the plan the party could take to “embarrass” Trump:
In the Senate right now there are enough Republicans on board to terminate the president's national emergency. The question this morning is, how big is that margin? How many Republicans will stand up to the president on this? Now, President Trump has already said he's going veto to this and there aren’t enough critics here in Congress to deliver the votes to overturn that veto. So bottom line George, Republicans can embarrass the president on this issue but they are not likely to stop him on this one.
CBS and NBC’s reports on the budget didn’t solely focus on the border wall as ABC’s did, and didn’t include their reporters’ hopes that Trump would be shamed by his own party. However, CBS and NBC did include snarky lines in their reports about Trump promising that Mexico would pay for the border wall.
To read the full transcript, click expand:
ABC's Good Morning America
3/11/2019
7:09:04-7:10:42AM EST
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We'll go the Washington now where President Trump is forcing a new showdown over his border wall. The president will release his new budget today. Upping the stakes after the longest government shutdown ever with a new request of nearly $9 billion for the wall. Our senior congressional correspondent Mary Bruce on Capitol Hill with the latest. Mary, it didn't take Democrats long to say, dead on arrival.
MARY BRUCE:: Yeah, George. Here we go again. The president is requesting another $8.6 billion to build the wall. That is six times what he got out of Congress in the last fight. Look, the president’s budget is always aspirational, more than anything it tell you about the president's priorities. President Trump is making very clear to his conservative base he's not giving up on this fight. Even after he didn't get a single extra dollar during the shutdown fight. But Democrats, they are also making it clear they're not budging on this issue. Democrat leaders saying history will repeat itself if the president tries to take on this fight once again. Warning him, quote, we hope he learned his lesson.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Mary, of course, Congress still dealing with the president’s emergency declaration. The White House working hard to stem Republican defections on that.
BRUCE: Yeah, the White House this morning is clearly worried about this. They're trying to contain the number of Republicans who deliver what will be a rebuke to the president. In the senate right now there are enough Republicans on board to terminate the president's national emergency. The question this morning is, how big is that margin? How many Republicans will stand up to the president on this? Now, President Trump has already said he's going veto to this and there aren’t enough critics here in Congress to deliver the votes to overturn that veto. So bottom line George, Republicans can embarrass the president on this issue but they are not likely to stop him on this one.
STEPHANOPOULOS: First veto of his presidency. Alright, Mary, thank you.
