Media Research Center President Brent Bozell appeared on the Fox Business Channel, Friday, to decry journalists hammering Donald Trump’s response to the North Korean threat. Bozell marveled, “In the last three days, the national news media have given more attention criticizing the Commander-in-Chief of the United States than criticizing the man who is saying he is going to drop an atomic bomb on an American territory.”
The MRC President attacked this as an example of “the news media [trying] to rally the American people against the Commander-in-Chief.” He concluded, “There is nothing mainstream about the news media anymore. As we have said many times, they want this man removed from office. This is the degree to which they're willing to go.”
A transcript is below:
Varney and Co.
8/11/17
10:06am ETSTUART VARNEY: Now this. The mainstream media continues to hammer President Trump for his tough talk on North Korea. Roll that tape.
[Montage of journalists bashing Trump on North Korea.]
VARNEY: Bluster, that is what it is. Joining us now, Brent Bozell, President of the Media Research Center. Brent, I'm so surprised that the media’s critique of the President focuses almost entirely on his language, not the position he staked out in this crisis, but the language he has used. What say you?
BRENT BOZELL: Yeah. Well, to the point that we have never heard this kind of bluster from an American president, how is this for a quote? “We will obliterate Japan, a rain of ruin, the likes of which they have never, the world has never seen before. That was Harry Truman, 1945. How about this? “Quickly and overwhelming retaliate and end that country as they know it.” Bill Clinton talking about North Korea, 1993. Exactly the terminology that Donald Trump has been using, an can you recall anyone ever criticizing Bill Clinton for that? To what degree are they criticizing Donald Trump? I want you to think about this. I want audience to think about this very carefully.
In the last three days the national news media have the given more attention criticizing the Commander-in-Chief of the United States than criticizing the man who is saying he is going to drop an atomic bomb on American territory.
VARNEY: Yeah, think about it. It is astonishing, isn't it? It is astonishing this should be the case and they are criticizing the language used as opposed to this extraordinary crisis which has developed. And he is the commander-in-chief of the United States of America. It is astonishing. You and I have spoken countless times, I have often, always said, I'm sure that things are going to turn. I thought that things would turn in this particular crisis but they hate him so much, they are so contemptuous, they just can't change their line of attack.
BOZELL: I can't recall anytime in modern American history or maybe in history at all, where the news media tried to rally the American people against the Commander-in-Chief. It is always been a case, no matter who the president was, that in a time of war, whether it was 9/11 or anything else, the country rallied behind the commander-in-chief by the media.
These attacks, Stuart, are not coming just from left-wing radical guests. They're coming from the likes of NBC anchor Lester Holt, CNN anchor Jake Tapper and others. This is the quote, un quote, mainstream press. There is nothing mainstream about the news media anymore. As we have said many times, they want this man removed from office. This is the degree to which they're willing to go.
VARNEY: I think you summed it up precisely. Brent Bozell, thanks for joining us.
