As soon as last night’s presidential debate concluded, the media was already crafting their excuses for Joe Biden’s meltdowns and poor performance. On CBS, John Dickerson, Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King pinned the blame for the unruly debate solely on President Trump, and they continued that spin a few minutes later while grilling the president’s son, Donald Trump Junior. As soon as he brought up Biden scandals the media won’t touch, the CBS journalists repeatedly cut him off, proving his point for him.
Norah O’Donnell had a loaded and hostile question for Don Jr. out of the gate. She concluded that President Trump was combative because he was “nervous” Biden was going to win: "Was that part of the nervousness that you think happened with the president tonight? Is that why he kept interrupting Joe Biden and also trying to steamroll the moderator?" she posed.
Trump Jr. explained that the president was a “fighter” and was trying to combat the “hits” from the media. As he brought up Hunter Biden getting millions from Russia, O’Donnell hastily tried to change the subject:
“Why keep talking about that? Why not talk about the policies for the American people?” she interrupted. Trump Jr. gave the obvious answer: “Because we have to even the playing field, Norah.”
But O’Donnell didn’t want an even playing field, so she kept interrupting:
O’DONNELL: No but I mean, how to help people. Why not talk about the plan for that, how to help people?
TRUMP JR: Why would it happen to one side but it's totally ignored by the other?
As Trump Jr. brought up steps President Trump has done to help the black community, that are also ignored by the media, it was Gayle King’s turn to interrupt:
TRUMP JR: When I look at my father and he take that stance, it's because he hasn't been treated fairly in these things. If you look at the differences on similar issues, the way it's handled, Joe Biden can get away with murder because the mainstream media---
GAYLE KING: Don, here's a subject--
TRUMP JR: The media has decided to be the marketing arm of the D.N.C.
She went on to accuse the president of not condemning white supremacists, another lie from the media. But she wouldn’t let Trump Jr. get a word in edgewise, as he attempted to point out how Trump did condemn them and how the media twisted his comments on Charlottesville, King cut him off to ask, “Were you proud of your dad's performance tonight, Don? Are you proud?”
You can watch the hostile exchanges in the video above and read more in the transcript below.
Right after this, CBS brought on Kamala Harris to give the Democrat response. They only kept her on for two minutes, and only asked her two questions, one neutral, and one critical:
O’DONNELL: Do you think this debate served the American people well?
....JOHN DICKERSON: Senator, you talked about the former vice president looking right into the camera. But his answer on court packing, adding more justices to the court, just sounds like a straight-up dodge. Why won't he talk about what he wants to do, what he thinks should happen?
Amazon and Rocket Mortgage sponsored this CBS segment. You can contact them at the Conservatives Fight Back page linked above.
Read the full transcript below:
CBS Post Debate Analysis
9/29/2020
10:43:50-10:47:20 PM EST
NORAH O DONNELL: We've witnessed the national polls for the last several months with Joe Biden ahead by double digits. We see in Ohio now that Joe Biden closing in on a state that your father one handily. Was that part of the nervousness that you think happened with the president tonight? Is that why he kept interrupting Joe Biden and also trying to steamroll the moderator?
DONALD TRUMP JR: No, I think it's because Donald Trump is a fighter. He's been fighting for the American people. He's taken heat and hits. I know personally, right. You know well that I did 30 hours of testimony for doing a fraction of what, let's say, Hunter Biden did. Now there's an actual link to Russia. There's an actual link to Vladimir Putin to the tune of $3.5 million to the Biden family and I think what my father---
O’DONNELL: Why keep talking about that? Why not talk about the policies for the American people? People are hurting because of coronavirus because their kids are not in school--
TRUMP JR: Because we have to even the playing field, Norah---
O’DONNELL: No but I mean, how to help people. Why not talk about the plan for that, how to help people?
TRUMP JR: Why would it happen to one side but it's totally ignored by the other? I think you have to put that into perspective. Donald Trump, you talk about racism, that was a big topic. Donald Trump did prison reform, Donald Trump created opportunity zones, Donald Trump did the first-step act. Why didn't Joe Biden do it? He cares so much about it, he didn't do anything about it 47 years. I would have thought if he cared about the issue, as the vice president to the first African American president he would but he won't because he wants to pander and that's the reality. When I look at my father and he take that stance, it's because he hasn't been treated fairly in these things. If you look at the differences on similar issues, the way it's handled, Joe Biden can get away with murder because the mainstream media---
GAYLE KING: Don, here's a subject--
TRUMP JR: The media has decided to be the marketing arm of the D.N.C.
GAYLE KING: Don, here's a subject a lot of people care about, black and white, hate groups. Proud Boys, is considered a hate group. Your father told them tonight, "Stand down and stand by." He didn't just condemn white supremacist groups. And what does he mean by "Stand by? What is that?
TRUMP JR: I don’t know what stand by--he said to stand down. He said, more than happy to condemn them--
KING: He said stand by.
TRUMP JR: I don't know if that was a misspeak but he was talking about having them stand down. Joe Biden is continually able to talk about the Charlottesville hoax, take a fragment of a quote, the media will run with it as though it's gospel and pretend that it's true. Anyone who is reasonable. Anyone who watches the entire thing understands that not only did he disclaim before that---
KING: Were you proud of your dad's performance tonight, Don, ?
[crosstalk]
KING: Don, Don Jr., are you proud?
TRUMP JR: I'm always proud of his performance. I think he's fighting hard for the American people.
KING: Alright
TRUMP:--It's why he's gotten peace deals done in the Middle East, the holy grail of geopolitical politics. Everyone talks about it, no one has actually done it but Trump. It’s why he’s been able to pull us out out of these endless wars. Because he doesn't just get streamrolled by everyone who wants to take advantage of him. That's why Joe Biden has a 47-year record in D.C. where you can't name an accomplishment of his. You can’t. And that's a problem. If Joe Biden could have fixed anything, Gayle, by now he would have done it.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Alright, [scoffs] um--
TRUMP JR: You don’t wait 50 years to start. But again when you have a mainstream media that will be your boosters and your natural --
O'DONNELL: We are going to talk about-- we're going to talk about policies that affect Americans and Don, Donald Trump, Jr., thank you so much for joining us. We're going to have a poll coming up. Please stay with us. We want to see who the American people think won this debate. And also in the interest of fairness, the Republican side provided Don Trump Jr. The democratic side provided the democratic vice presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. We'll speak with her right after the break.
