Reacting to the bizarre and cringe-inducing image of a CNN reporter wearing a gas mask as she held an orange bong, Brent Bozell on Tuesday quipped, “CNN is trying to trademark the debauchery as its brand for New Year's Eve coverage. I mean that quite seriously.” The MRC president appeared on Fox Business and reminded everyone of CNN’s embarrassing history of New Years coverage.
In 2013, “comedienne” Kathy Griffin, who was eventually fired from CNN for displaying a fake severed head of Donald Trump, kissed the crotch of New Years Eve host, Anderson Cooper. In 2009, she dropped the f-bomb and made oral sex jokes.
On Tuesday, Bozell also talked about the media’s relentlessly negative coverage of the President in 2017:
It was 91 percent negative during the campaign. Then during the honeymoon period where things get nice, it was only 89 percent negative. And it’s gone — It has fluctuated, 91, 92, 90 percent ever since then we look at it. It is rather remarkable. Almost unanimously they hate this man.
A transcript of the segment is below:
Varney and Co.
1/2/18
10:45ASHLEY WEBSTER: The media bias against Donald Trump, guess what? It continues. A Media Research Center study says 90 percent of the Trump coverage in the last three months has been negative. Media Research Center President Brent Bozell joins us now. Brent, I thought the tide against Trump was turning maybe a little bit but apparently not?
BRENT BOZELL: No. The numbers don't budge.
WEBSTER: Yeah.
BOZELL: We were looking at this during the campaign. It was 91 percent negative during the campaign. Then during the honeymoon period where things get nice, it was only 89 percent negative. And it’s gone — It has fluctuated, 91, 92, 90 percent ever since then we look at it. It is rather remarkable. Almost unanimously they hate this man.
WEBSTER: They do, and because of that, they will jump on anything negative they can find but they don't give him a whole lot of credit when he does get a victory, do they?
BOZELL: No, they won't. Look at the tax debate. You just showed Art Laffer a minute ago —
WEBSTER: Yeah.
BOZELL: — what he had to say. The media spin has been the exact opposite. Anything, any discussion they threw cold water on it. CNN on a regular basis, whatever they could, they found something negative to say about it. Which goes a long way, by the way, in explaining why so many of the American people believe they weren't getting a tax cut.
WEBSTER: Well that's true, but in some perverse way, does this all play into, into President Trump's hand? That he is against the establishment, that he is against the swamp, that he is against the media, and that, and so by tweeting over the head of the media, he appeals to his base directly. And the fact they're always negative is not really have any impact on his base?
BOZELL: The, look — you're right. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
WEBSTER: Yeah.
BOZELL: The public can't stand the news media.
WEBSTER: Yeah.
BOZELL: When he goes after the news media, they love it. So absolutely. Absolutely. His base is on fire because of his attacks on the news media. It’s going to continue and it’s actually going to be torqued up even worse toward the end of the race. But you are going to see one thing very interesting. When the President pushes an infrastructure bill, which is at its core, liberal, what are the media going to do?
WEBSTER: Very good point. Another one for you, Brent, during New Year's Eve celebrations, CNN reveled in pot smoking in a report from Denver where marijuana is legal. That picture says it all. It’s a gas mask full of pot smoke I guess. Is this CNN we now know and you know, people love and hate today?
BOZELL: CNN is trying to trademark the debauchery as its brand for New Year's Eve coverage. I mean that quite seriously. Go back to Kathy Griffin in 2008, using obscenities live on television. CNN said they weren't going to use her and bring her back. Of course they did. They started dropping f-bombs. If you recall, last year she was performing simulated oral sex on the anchor during her New Year's broadcast. So this year they're doing pot and getting stoned.
WEBSTER: They're negative and they're stoned which is unusual. All right. Brent Bozell, great stuff as always.
