In an interview with Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus on Monday’s NBC Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie predicted “long-term damage” for Republicans and a “free pass” for Hillary Clinton.
After Priebus pointed out that “a lot of our candidates are already beating Hillary Clinton in the important states,” Guthrie quickly steered the conversation toward bad news for the GOP: “I want to get to Hillary Clinton in a moment, but let me stay on [Donald] Trump for just one second. I mean, do you worry that there might be long-term damage to the Republican Party brand?...if people, general election voters, think Republican Party equals Trump, is that bad news for you?”
In a follow-up question, Guthrie saw more doom for Republicans: “Do you fear an independent run from Donald Trump? Most political analysts say if Trump ran an independent campaign it would peel off enough Republican votes to all but assure a Hillary Clinton victory.”
Moments later, she finally got around to asking about Clinton, but only to suggest that the Democratic front-runner would be able to avoid criticism: “And with all of the candidates vying, because of course they do want to be on that main debate stage, does that mean Hillary Clinton’s kind of getting a free pass this summer? She can go about her business because the Republicans are all having to battle to get onto that stage?”
Again Priebus pointed to Clinton’s weakness in the polls:
Yeah, you know what? That's not bad to have a battle instead of a coronation like Hillary Clinton....And I think the interest on our side just gives us a leg up. And as I said earlier, you're seeing it now. People across the country know that one of the biggest problems Hillary Clinton has with Americans is trustworthiness. And it's why our candidates with a lower name I.D. are already beating Hillary Clinton in important states across America.
In a report prior to Guthrie’s interview with Priebus, correspondent Peter Alexander focused on how Trump’s “insurgency” had “upended the Republican field.”
Alexander gave only seconds to Clinton’s ongoing e-mail scandal:
ALEXANDER: Trump's latest target, Hillary Clinton. Still defending her use of personal e-mail.
DONALD TRUMP: The fact is that what she has done is criminal. I mean, what she has done is criminal.
HILLARY CLINTON: The facts are pretty clear. I did not send, nor receive, anything that was classified at the time.
ALEXANDER: The controversy could be taking a toll. In Iowa, 56% of voters say they view Clinton unfavorably. In New Hampshire, that number is 57%.
If Clinton does get a “free pass,” it will be because of the media, not Republicans.
Here are Guthrie’s questions to Priebus during the July 27 interview:
> To briefly recap, and I won't go into everything, since Trump launched his run he has insulted the Mexican people, he has questioned the war-hero status of John McCain, he’s called his opponents everything from “stupid,” “dummy,” “idiot.” He gave out the cell phone number of one of his rivals. Why do you think Republicans are responding to him? He is zooming ahead in every single poll.
> I want to get to Hillary Clinton in a moment, but let me stay on Trump for just one second. I mean, do you worry that there might be long-term damage to the Republican Party brand? I mean, he's got an unfavorability rate among general election voters anywhere between 57-59%, depending on the polling you look at. So if people, general election voters, think Republican Party equals Trump, is that bad news for you?
> Last thing on this. Do you fear an independent run from Donald Trump? Most political analysts say if Trump ran an independent campaign it would peel off enough Republican votes to all but assure a Hillary Clinton victory. Do you have to tiptoe around him to make sure that doesn't happen?
> You’ve got this slate of 16 candidates. You call them the varsity squad. Many, many of them experienced, qualified, thoughtful, have these policy positions. And many of them are worried about getting onto that primetime debate stage. Have you heard complaints about the fact that only ten of them are gonna be able to be in that top-tier debate?
> And with all of the candidates vying, because of course they do want to be on that main debate stage, does that mean Hillary Clinton’s kind of getting a free pass this summer? She can go about her business because the Republicans are all having to battle to get onto that stage?
