CNN's Alisyn Camerota accused Donald Trump of "making people feel violently against the press" on Tuesday's New Day. Camerota spotlighted how a Trump supporter blasted NBC's Katy Tur as a "bitch" at a recent campaign rally, and asked former Reagan adviser (and NewsBusters contributor) Jeffrey Lord, "Isn't this dangerous on some level?" When Lord underlined that "people feel that the media distorts" and "portray Trump supporters as a bunch of bigots, rubes, racists, xenophobes," the anchor shot back, "Show us when we've labeled somebody a 'xenophobe,' who's a Trump supporter." [video below]
Camerota first asked Lord and Matt Schlapp of the American Conservative Union about "some of the rhetoric on the campaign trail that has been, as you both know, fairly incendiary." She zeroed in on Trump attacking a protester who disrupted a campaign event in Las Vegas by saying, "I'd like to punch him in the face." The journalist also underlined that "sometimes, people are roughed up at some of these campaign events." She wondered, "Is that okay rhetoric, Jeffrey?"
Lord replied by citing how " the sentiment...about the media was pretty strong" at a recent event he attended. Camerota followed up with Tur's Twitter post about the "bitch" attack at the Trump rally. Schlapp responded, in part, by noting that "Trump has done a great job of connecting to voters; and he's telling it like it is; and there's no sacred cows. And all that is very appealing. But at some point, he has to get to the next level here."
The CNN anchor returned to subject of the Tur incident: "Back to the vitriol against the press: isn't this dangerous on some level?" The Reagan administration alumnus pointed out that "people feel that the media distorts. They don't tell the truth. They portray Trump supporters as a bunch of bigots, rubes, racists, xenophobes, et cetera — when they're just hard-working folks who are out there....they feel that they are being deliberately smeared by these folks."
Camerota shot back, "But Jeffrey, isn't it also that Donald Trump is — I mean, isn't he also ginning up that feeling? You know, show us when we've — we've labeled somebody a 'xenophobe,' who's a Trump supporter. Isn't Donald Trump...ginning that up and making people feel violently against the press?"
Actually, CNN commentator Bakari Sellers, the former vice chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, used that exact term on the January 3, 2016 edition of the network's State of the Union program: "Donald Trump is a bigot. Donald Trump is a xenophobe. Donald Trump has offended Hispanic voters, female voters, those with disabilities, African American voters. The list goes on and on and on." [see video below]
Lord also highlighted that "the Washington Post this very morning...their editorial board is going after Donald Trump and his supporters. I mean, it's disgraceful. It's an absolute double standard here."
The transcript of the relevant portion of the Lord/Schlapp segment from the February 23, 2016 edition of CNN's New Day:
ALISYN CAMEROTA: Let's talk about some of the rhetoric on the campaign trail that has been, as you both know, fairly incendiary — and last night was no exception. I mean, I—
JEFFREY LORD, FORMER REAGAN WHITE HOUSE POLITICAL DIRECTOR: (laughs) Don't understate things—
[CNN Graphic: "Trump On Protester: 'I'd Like To Punch Him In the Face'"]
CAMEROTA: I know! I'm understating it. I mean, it's been — you know, at times — I mean, it even veers into the violent, some people say, Jeffrey. So here's an example: there was a protester last night in Vegas at one of Donald Trump's events — and this was Donald Trump's response to him.
DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (from campaign event): Here's a guy throwing punches, nasty as hell, screaming at everything else when we're talking. I mean, walking out — and we're not allowed — you know, the guards are very gentle with him. He's walking out — like, big high-fives, smiling, laughing. I'd like to punch him in the face.
CAMEROTA: Okay. So, he says he'd like to punch him in the face. And I know that's Donald Trump's idea of a joke. But sometimes, people are roughed up at some of these campaign events. Is that okay rhetoric, Jeffrey?
LORD: You know, it's not okay, but it's not okay also to provoke. You know, Alisyn, last night — as you know, I have a book out. I did a book event last night for about a hundred fifty people in suburban Philadelphia. And I can only tell you the sentiment there about the media was pretty strong. I mean, these are just regular folks. I was taking questions from them. So I — you know, I think that there's real sentiment here; that there's a lot of provocation going on; and nothing is ever done about it. And so, Donald Trump just gives vent to it.
CAMEROTA: Yes. Jeffrey — but Jeffrey, see, there is provocation going on. But I think you're talking about it from a different side. I mean, let me just pull up for you — one of the reporters, Katy Tur from NBC — she sent out this Tweet about what happened last night (actually, February 21). She says, 'Trump trashes press. Crowd jeers. Guy by press pen looks at us and screams, 'You are' — you — B word, basically—
LORD: Right; right—
CAMEROTA: Hold on! 'Other gentleman gives cameras the double bird.' I mean, this is — is really counterproductive, Jeffrey — this kind of rhetoric. Go ahead, Matt.
MATT SCHLAPP, CHAIRMAN, AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION: Alisyn, I think—
LORD: Alisyn, Alisyn—
SCHLAPP: Hold on a second, Jeffrey. I think — here's the thing I think you'll agree with me on — which is Donald Trump has done a great job of connecting to voters; and he's telling it like it is; and there's no sacred cows. And all that is very appealing. But at some point, he has to get to the next level here. He's getting a third — maybe as high as 40 percent in these states. I'd like to see him — if he's really going to be our front-runner, be able to get a majority in some of these states. And it's taking the next step — which is, they see a leader in Donald Trump. I want them now to see, if he's to be the nominee, a president in Donald Trump. And a president is not someone who always takes these easy jabs. I think that's what my mom in Kansas wants to see. I think that's what a lot of Republicans want to see — can he transcend from what he is today to being a president tomorrow?
CAMEROTA: But Jeffrey — I mean, back to the vitriol against the press: isn't this dangerous on some level?
LORD: Look, first of all, there's no excuse for calling somebody the B word — which I understand in that video (sic). But here's — here's the problem: is — and again, I saw this sentiment firsthand last night — people feel that the media distorts. They don't tell the truth. They portray Trump supporters as a bunch of bigots, rubes, racists, xenophobes, et cetera — when they're just hard-working folks who are out there. They're very concerned about the shape of their country. And they feel that they are being deliberately smeared by these folks. So—
CAMEROTA: But Jeffrey, isn't it also that Donald Trump is — I mean, isn't he also ginning up that feeling? You know, show us when we've — we've labeled somebody a 'xenophobe,' who's a Trump supporter—
LORD: Oh, my goodness—
CAMEROTA: Isn't Donald Trump — is ginning that up and making people feel violently against the press?
LORD: Alisyn, I could point to editorials from all kinds of — I mean, the Washington Post this very morning is going after — their editorial board is going after Donald Trump and his supporters. I mean — I mean, it's disgraceful. It's an absolute — it's an absolute double standard here—
SCHLAPP: There's a — look, there's a liberal press out there, and all these Republican candidates have a right to take them on, and I applaud them every time they do. But what you want in your front-runner is someone who appeals to the better natures — the better angels of our nature — and I think that's the next step for Donald Trump. Can he transition to that?
CAMEROTA: All right. Matt, Jeffrey, thank you for the debate.
