The war of words in the 2016 race for president reached a new level Thursday when both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton accused one another of being a “bigot.” On CBS Evening News, fill-in anchor James Brown seemed disappointed in them, starting the show off saying, “The presidential campaign may have hit a low point today, and there are still 75 days to go.” While Brown seemed disappointed, both ABC and NBC took the opportunity to pounce on Trump and praise Clinton’s attacks.
“Now, to the race for president, and a dark 24 hours,” announced ABC anchor David Muir on World News Tonight, “Donald Trump calling Hillary Clinton a bigot.” Muir went on to describe Clinton’s own accusations of racism as her, “taking the stage and firing back.” And correspondent David Wright took it from there.
“Today, Clinton made her case that it's Trump who has been running a racist campaign,” he reported while praising her attacks, “In some of her strongest language yet, she ran down the list … Using Trump's own words against him, she accused him of launching his run for the presidency with another "Racist lie" -- about Mexican immigrants.” Wright even played a clip from a Clinton campaign ad where an imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan talked about why they liked Trump.
On NBC Nightly News the reporting of the name calling was quite similar. “To presidential politics now and a day of explosive rhetoric on the campaign trail,” stated anchor Lester Holt, “Hillary Clinton unloading on Donald Trump in a blistering speech saying, quote, “he is taking hate groups mainstream and helping the radical fringe take over the Republican Party.””
And Clinton fangirl Andrea Mitchell pulled out all the stops in praising Clinton’s attacks. “After a week of playing defense Hillary Clinton arguing tonight that Donald Trump can soften his rhetoric and stick to a script but that he's helping a radical fringe advocating racist ideas,” she reported with glee, “Tonight Hillary Clinton going farther than ever before, painting Donald Trump as an extremist.”
The liberal bias by ABC and NBC is blindingly obvious in this case. The fact that they defend Clinton from Trump’s accusations of bigotry while praising Clinton’s demonstrates what they really think of him. And they were brazen enough not to hide it, and even joined Clinton.
Transcripts below:
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ABC
World News Tonight
August 25, 2016
6:34:50 PM EasternDAVID MUIR: Now, to the race for president, and a dark 24 hours. Donald Trump calling Hillary Clinton a bigot. Late today, Clinton taking the stage and firing back. And Donald Trump just a short time ago, pressed to explain why he thinks she's a bigot. You'll see how he responds. All of this tonight, as a new national poll shows Clinton leading now by ten points, above 50 percent. ABC's David Wright, and what was said and how even some Trump supporters seemed taken aback.
[Cuts to video]
DAVID WRIGHT: Hours before Hillary Clinton took the stage in Reno, Donald Trump dropped this bomb:
DONALD TRUMP: Hillary Clinton is a bigot who sees people of color only as votes, not as human beings worthy of a better future.
WRIGHT: That woman behind him there appears to be shocked. Today, Clinton made her case that it's Trump who has been running a racist campaign.
HILLARY CLINTON: Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia. He is taking hate groups mainstream, and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party.
WRIGHT: In some of her strongest language yet, she ran down the list.
CLINTON: He promoted the racist lie that president Obama isn't really an American citizen.
WRIGHT: Using Trump's own words against him, she accused him of launching his run for the presidency with another "Racist lie" -- about Mexican immigrants.
TRUMP: They are bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they are rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.
CLINTON: There's been a steady stream of bigotry coming from him.
WRIGHT: She also made it clear she doesn't buy Trump's new effort to reach out to African-American voters.
TRUMP: I say this to the African-American community. Give Donald Trump a chance. We will turn it around. We will make your streets safe, so, when you walk down the street, you don't get shot, which is what's happening now.
CLINTON: Trump has stood up in front of largely white audiences and described black communities in such insulting and ignorant terms.
WRIGHT: Today, Clinton's campaign released a new video.
UNIDENTIFIED KLANS MAN: The reason a lot of Klan members like Donald Trump, is because a lot of what he believes, we believe in. Donald Trump would be best for the job.
UNIDENTIFIED BLACK MAN: For president?
KLANS MAN: Yeah.
WRIGHT: Trump denounced her new line of attack as a brazen attempt at distraction.
TRUMP: When democratic policies fail, they are left with only this one tired argument, “You're racist. You're racist. You're racist.” They keep saying it, “you're racist.” It's a tired, disgusting argument.
...
NBC
Nightly News
August 25, 2016
7:04:04 PM Eastern
LESTER HOLT: To presidential politics now and a day of explosive rhetoric on the campaign trail. Hillary Clinton unloading on Donald Trump in a blistering speech saying, quote, “he is taking hate groups mainstream and helping the radical fringe take over the Republican Party.” Meantime, Trump blasted Clinton, calling her a bigot. Trump also making headlines for a major shift on immigration. We have it all covered starting with NBC's Andrea Mitchell. Andrea, it is getting heated.
ANDREA MITCHELL: Indeed it is. Good evening, Lester. After a week of playing defense Hillary Clinton arguing tonight that Donald Trump can soften his rhetoric and stick to a script but that he's helping a radical fringe advocating racist ideas.
[Cuts to video]
Tonight Hillary Clinton going farther than ever before, painting Donald Trump as an extremist.
HILLARY CLINTON: Dark. Disturbing. Sinister. From the start, Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia.
MITCHELL: Going after Trump point by point. His birther past.
DONALD TRUMP: Why doesn't he show his birth certificate?
CLINTON: He promoted the racist lie that President Obama is not really an American citizen.
MITCHELL: His retweets of white supremacists or theories about Clinton's health.
CLINTON: His latest paranoid fever dream is about my health. And all I can say is, Donald, dream on.
MITCHELL: And now Clinton blasting Trump for hiring Steve Bannon, head of Breitbart, a conservative website linked to the new alternative right as campaign CEO. In her speech citing Breitbart headlines.
CLINTON: Birth control makes women unattractive and crazy. A fringe element that has effectively taken over the Republican Party.
MITCHELL: Trump firing back even before she started speaking.
TRUMP: When democratic policies fail, they are left with only this one tired argument. “You're racist.”
MITCHELL: Clinton's speech a welcome indictment say alt-right critics.
RICHARD COHEN: It's a movement that's racist. It's a movement that's anti-Semitic, and it's a movement that's been gaining a foothold in the mainstream through the Trump campaign and through Breitbart news.
MITCHELL: The speech also a chance for Clinton to turn the page after a week of attacks. Charges of special access for Clinton Foundation donors when she was secretary of state.
CLINTON: I know there's a lot of smoke and there's no fire.
MITCHELL: Tonight Clinton trying to make Trump the target instead of her.
