On Monday’s NBC Today, correspondent Peter Alexander framed Donald Trump’s adoption of various liberal policy positions as evidence of his “flexibility” as a candidate: “Trump showing plenty of flexibility on the issues, now open to a minimum wage increase after opposing it during the primaries. Shifting positions on taxes, too. His plan calls for cuts for everybody, which he contradicted last month on Today.”
In the segment that followed Alexander’s report, co-host Savannah Guthrie observed: “Meanwhile, he's changed and moved to the left on a couple of positions he took during the primary, which will not endear him to these conservatives that he's trying to win over....now he's open to raising the minimum wage and maybe there should be....tax hikes for wealthy.”
Bloomberg Politics editor Mark Halperin revealed that the press saw it coming: “We all expected this to happen, right? We all expected Trump would start trying to moderate his positions. But you’ve got to do it with some elegance. You’ve got to do it with some sense of why you're making the change.”
CBS This Morning took a more in-depth look at Trump’s move to left and how it could be a real challenge for his campaign. Reporting on the race, correspondent Major Garrett explained:
...the divide between Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan is not just about political tactics and temperament, there are big policy differences. Conservatives, especially House Speaker Paul Ryan, are wary of Trump's support for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration, his hands-off approach to Social Security and Medicare, and across-the-board tax cuts Trump now appears willing to revise.
Minutes later, during a discussion with Wall Street Journal Washington bureau chief Gerry Seib, co-host Norah O’Donnell wondered: “Trump says that he supports higher taxes on the wealthy. He supports raising the minimum wage. Is he a Republican? Is he a conservative? It sounds more like Democratic proposals.”
Seib replied:
Well, look, I mean, this is the key now. I think we're past the point where the issue is Donald Trump's temperament. Conservatives are worried about his policies. And so, Paul Ryan really does believe in policy prescriptions that conservatives want and so they look at Donald Trump and they say, “Well, he's not with out us on free trade, he's kind of got a – he’s got a different view of immigration. His tax plan we like, but on the other hand, he now basically says everything is negotiable. So is he one of us?” And Paul Ryan really embodies that belief.
While ABC’s Good Morning America did hype divisions in the Republican Party over Trump’s candidacy, the morning show ignored conservative complaints with the billionaire’s liberal policy agenda.
Here is a full transcript of the May 9 discussion with Seib on This Morning:
7:07 AM ET
CHARLIE ROSE: Gerry Seib is the Washington bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal. He’s been covering the primaries and joins us from Washington. Gerry, good morning.
GERRY SEIB: Good morning, Charlie.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: The Trump Summit; WSJ DC Bureau Chief on Billionaire Meeting Speaker]
ROSE: Does Donald Trump simple have to unify the Republican Party in order to go forward and have a chance to win this election?
SEIB: Well, I think at some level he has to unify the party. You know, I think one of the things he has to do though is convince the party that he's actually leading a different and better Republican Party. I mean, that's what he's really trying to do here. He's really trying to turn the Republican Party from a party that’s really run by movement conservatives to one that's more populist. And that's a very painful change, as it turns out, because conservatives who really have shaped the party to their image and likeness for 20-25 years now, have kind of figured out maybe he's not one of us. And that's a very painful transition. So I think there may be limits to how much unifying can happen here.
NORAH O’DONNELL: But, Gerry, he differs with Paul Ryan on almost every major issue. And then just yesterday, after some very tough questioning on the Sunday shows, Trump says that he supports higher taxes on the wealthy. He supports raising the minimum wage. Is he a Republican? Is he a conservative? It sounds more like Democratic proposals.
SEIB: Well, look, I mean, this is the key now. I think we're past the point where the issue is Donald Trump's temperament. Conservatives are worried about his policies. And so, Paul Ryan really does believe in policy prescriptions that conservatives want and so they look at Donald Trump and they say, “Well, he's not with out us on free trade, he's kind of got a – he’s got a different view of immigration. His tax plan we like, but on the other hand, he now basically says everything is negotiable. So is he one of us?” And Paul Ryan really embodies that belief.
And I think it's interesting that Paul Ryan said not,”I won't support Donald Trump,” he says, “I'm not ready to yet.” That to me at least suggests what he wants to do this week is talk to Donald Trump and maybe extract some promises or at least some sense of what it is Donald Trump is really going to stand for on the issues that count to conservatives. And Paul Ryan, as I said, is the embodiment of those conservative ideas.
GAYLE KING: Well, Donald Trump said on one of the shows yesterday that he felt a little blindsided by Paul Ryan. What do you think needs to happen between the two when they meet on Thursday?
SEIB: Well, look, I think one thing you've sort of got to get past, this idea that maybe Donald Trump is going to dump Paul Ryan as chairman of the convention. That's a pretty tough thing to do.
KING: Yes. He floated that idea out there, though, Gerry.
SEIB: I know, I know. But I mean, like we all thought they were headed toward a really raucous convention in Cleveland, one that was going to be contested, and then all of a sudden it looked like that's not going to happen, it’s going to. But now we're going have a raucous convention for a totally different reason? I'm not sure that's in their interest. So there’s that issue, but there is also really the kind of the question of what do you stand for? What do you stand for on taxes? What's your position going to be – bottom-line position on national security issues? I think there's a lot of need for clarity. And one of the things that people have talked about is Donald Trump's need to go out, make some serious policy speeches, and address these questions. And nobody's going to be listening more closely than conservatives.
KING: Well, let's just say it's never dull. Gerry Seib, we thank you very much for joining us this morning.
SEIB: Happy to be with you.
KING: Really good to see you.
