On Monday's New Day, CNN's Chris Cuomo attacked both Donald Trump and the majority of the American public for their stance against allowing 10,000 Syrian refugees into the country. Cuomo asserted that Trump was "playing into an us versus them mentality," and spotlighted the latest Bloomberg poll result on the issue: "Look at the numbers on the Syrian situation. Look at what the American people say...We haven't seen numbers like this in America since 1938, when people were obviously desperate; obviously, running for their lives.....Donald plays into it very well. He believes it as much as they do." [video below]
It is clear that the anchor was using the same inflammatory point that Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times used on the November 19, 2015 edition of CNN Tonight: "This almost exactly matches up a poll in January 1939 of whether or not to admit 10,000 mostly Jewish children into the U.S — and it was, again, two to one saying, no, we shouldn't."
Co-anchor Alisyn Camerota brought up this latest Trump controversy during a segment with NY1 political anchor Errol Louis and Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "He's [Trump] given his rationale for cracking down on refugees and mosques — okay? And...part of what he says is that after 9/11, he saw — here in this country — in New Jersey — people celebrating, as the towers came down." She pointed out that no one has been able to verify this claim, and continued by playing a clip of ABC's George Stephanopoulos confronting the billionaire on Sunday's This Week over the issue.
Camerota turned to Louis and asked, "Is that a problem for Donald Trump?" The CNN political commentator replied, in part, by highlighting that Trump supporters "think...he'll bring change" and that "he's most likely to win." He continued that "the rest of us are...watching...with our mouths hanging open, saying, how can you get on national TV and...basically support the beating of somebody at one of your rallies? How can you get on national TV and talk about something that never happened; and insist that it did happen; and then, just, kind of, move on? I don't think it's going to affect his poll standings."
Cuomo then launched his barrage at the Republican presidential candidate and the majority of the American populace, and continued with his own lament of the Trump phenomenon:
CHRIS CUOMO: ...He [Trump] did it to George [Stephanopoulos]. George is as smart as we have in the business — period. He says this didn't happen. The police say it didn't happen. What does Donald say? Not only 'yes, I saw it,' but he says — we didn't play it (sic) — but he says, 'I know it's not politically correct for you to talk about it, George.' That was as useful to him as anything else that he said in that interview, because what did it do? It made the people who are listening say, 'That's right. George is one of them. He's not one of us' And it works. And you know what? When Trump sees this, you know what he's going to say — is why are they being unfair to me on that show again? I thought Cuomo would come around on me. I guess he didn't. And that will also boost his numbers, because they'll say, see? Here's another example of the media not being where the American people are.
The transcript of the relevant portion of the Errol Louis/Maggie Haberman segment from the November 23, 2015 edition of CNN's New Day:
ALISYN CAMEROTA: He's [Trump] given his rationale for cracking down on refugees and mosques — okay? And what he says — part of what he says is that after 9/11, he saw — here in this country — in New Jersey — people celebrating, as the towers came down. No one else has been able to see that. That was not — people have gone back—
[CNN Graphic: "Heated Refugee Rhetoric In Republican Race"]
ERROL LOUIS, POLITICAL ANCHOR, NY1: (laughs) That's because it didn't happen, right?
CAMEROTA: Through the annals to look at newscasts. That didn't exist in this country. It did exist in the Middle East.
[CNN Graphic: "Trump In Favor Of Mosque Surveillance"]
MAGGIE HABERMAN, PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES: Yes—
CAMEROTA: Maybe he remembers seeing that. But here's what he told ABC this weekend about it.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (from ABC's This Week): You know, the police say that didn't happen, and all those rumors have been on the Internet for some time. So did you misspeak yesterday?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via phone): It did happen. I saw it. It was on television. I saw it—
STEPHANOPOULOS: You saw that with your own eyes?
TRUMP: George, it did happen—
STEPHANOPOULOS: Please say it didn't happen—
TRUMP: There were people that were cheering in (sic) the other side of New Jersey, where you have large Arab populations — they were cheering as the World Trade Center came down. I know it might be not politically correct for you to talk about it. But there were people cheering as that building came down — as those buildings came down. And that tells you something. It was well covered at the time, George.
CAMEROTA: Okay. It was not well covered, and there (Haberman laughs) — we can't find any evidence of it. Is that a problem for Donald Trump?
LOUIS: Well, probably not, unfortunately — I mean, if you dig deeper into those same polls that we're talking about, it turns out that the same voters say that he's not the most experienced. They say that Jeb Bush is. They say he's not the most honest and trustworthy. They say that Ben Carson is. They think, however, that he'll bring change. They think, however, that he's most likely to win. And that's why I think he is in the lead. It's not because he's factual. It's not because he respects the Constitution. It's not because he tells the truth. There are questions about all of those things. They — the people who support him support him for different reasons.
[CNN Graphic: "November 16-19, Washington Post/ABC News; Which Candidate Has The Best Experience To Serve As President? Bush: Now, 33%; Oct, 31%; Trump: Now, 21%; Oct, 23%; Rubio: Now, 16%; Oct, 12%; Cruz: Now, 11%; Oct, 8%; Carson: Now, 8%; Oct, 8%; Which Candidate Is Most Honest And Trustworthy?: Carson: Now, 34%; Oct, 34%; Trump: Now, 23%; Oct, 21%; Rubio: Now, 12%; Oct, 10%; Bush: Now, 11%; Oct, 10%; Cruz: Now, 10%; Oct, 7%; Sampling Error: +/- 3.5% Pts"]
And so, the rest of us are, kind of, watching — you know, with our mouths hanging open, saying, how can you get on national TV and — you know, sort of, basically support the beating of somebody at one of your rallies? How can you get on national TV and talk about something that never happened; and insist that it did happen; and then, just, kind of, move on? I don't think it's going to affect his poll standings.
[CNN Graphic: "Trump Won't Rule Out Database, ID's For Muslims; Trump Doubles Down On Claim Arabs In NJ Cheered 9/11; Carson, Trump Repeat Call For Intel On Muslims"]
CUOMO: And when they — he says it, it works; and the reason it works is because they agree with him. He is playing into an us versus them mentality. Look at the numbers on the Syrian situation. Look at what the American people say — all right? We haven't seen numbers like this in America since 1938, when people were obviously desperate; obviously, running for their lives. And yet, the fear of what they may mean to the United States overcame any of the rationality of that fear in and of itself. Fifty-three percent are with him; 53 percent believe it's us versus them; and Donald plays into it very well. He believes it as much as they do.
[CNN Graphic: "November 15-17, Bloomberg Poll: What Is The Best Approach For U.S. With Syrian Refugees? Don't Accept Any, 53%; Resettle 10,000, 28%; Only Accept Christians, 11%; Not Sure, 8%; Sampling Error: +/- 3.9% Pts"]
And he did it to George. George is as smart as we have in the business — period. He says this didn't happen. The police say it didn't happen. What does Donald say? Not only 'yes, I saw it,' but he says — we didn't play it (sic) — but he says, 'I know it's not politically correct for you to talk about it, George.' That was as useful to him as anything else that he said in that interview, because what did it do? It made the people who are listening say, 'That's right. George is one of them. He's not one of us'—
HABERMAN: That's right—
CUOMO: And it works. And you know what? When Trump sees this, you know what he's going to say — is why are they being unfair to me on that show again? I thought Cuomo would come around on me. I guess he didn't. And that will also boost his numbers, because they'll say, see? (Camerota laughs) Here's another example of the media not being where the American people are.
