One would think a major gaffe by a prominent governor and potential 2020 presidential candidate would garner significant attention from the broadcast networks. However, since Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told a crowd on Wednesday that America “was never that great,” NBC has only provided 37 seconds of coverage to the controversy, while ABC and CBS have ignored the story altogether.
“New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is taking heat this morning for a comment he made Wednesday at a bill signing event in New York City,” co-host Savannah Guthrie announced at the top of the 7:30 a.m. ET hour on Thursday’s Today show. A soundbite ran of Cuomo attempting to mock President Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan by running down the country: “We’re not gonna make America great again. It was never that great.”
Guthrie continued: “Cuomo, a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, went on to say, ‘We will reach greatness when every American is fully engaged and when discrimination and stereotyping against women is gone.’” She also noted Trump responding to the remarks: “The president reacted to that comment on Twitter, saying Cuomo was, quote, ‘having a total meltdown!’”
While the NBC morning show could only find 37 seconds to mention Cuomo, at least it was covered. ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS This Morning both opted to skip the prominent Democrat’s anti-American statement completely.
In contrast to the paltry air time given to the liberal politician’s stumble, the three network morning shows devoted a combined 4 minutes 39 seconds to a swimmer on Cape Cod being injured in a shark attack. NBC’s coverage of the attack – 2 minutes 21 seconds – was nearly four times the amount of time it offered on Cuomo. GMA similarly provided a full report on the attack, totaling 1 minute 58 seconds. This Morning provided a 20-second news brief. All of those segments were featured early in the 7:00 a.m. ET hour.
If a possible presidential candidate insulting America isn’t enough to grab media attention, then what is?
Here is a transcript of the August 16 news brief on NBC’s Today show:
7:31 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is taking heat this morning for a comment he made Wednesday at a bill signing event in New York City. Take a listen.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO [D-NY]: We’re not gonna make America great again. It was never that great.
GUTHRIE: That comment was a dig at the president’s 2016 campaign slogan. Cuomo, a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, went on to say, “We will reach greatness when every American is fully engaged and when discrimination and stereotyping against women is gone.” The president reacted to that comment on Twitter, saying Cuomo was, quote, “having a total meltdown!”
