In recent days and weeks, President Trump has made broad and swift moves on policies ranging from immigration to tariffs to looking to pull out of Syria. All of these policy actions are popular with the President’s base (aka blue collar working Americans). But during Wednesday night’s edition of Anderson Cooper 360, CNN ran a ridiculous report about what Trump was doing and who he was doing it for. With all the sober seriousness of a report about corruption, CNN reported on Trump playing to his base.
“President Trump's tweets over the past few days have taken aim at many targets, Amazon, the media, former President Obama to name just a few. But in a very real sense,” a cautious-sounding Cooper began the segment. “He's playing to a single audience, his political base.”
Cooper handed it off to CNN correspondent Randi “Kush” Kaye, who kicked off her report with a clip of Trump talking about how small-town retailers were going out of business. “If the President is trying to impress his base, comments like that may do the trick,” she quipped as she noted Trump’s personal feud with Amazon and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos. “But Trump, in going after Amazon, is also defending brick and mortar retailers, which he says are getting squeezed.”
Sounding as if she was trying to break down a complex quid-pro-quo plot, Kaye explained to CNN’s viewers why Trump cared about sure retailers:
Those retailers in many cases, mom and pop shops, part of what Donald Trump sees as his base. His effort to keep his supporters in middle America and elsewhere happy may explain some of his recent rhetoric about tariffs too, sounding more like he did during the campaign.
“Trump's move to slap tariffs on China was a nod to his base,” Kaye noted. “Now farmers who largely supported Trump could get hurt” due to China’s own threat to apply tariffs to U.S. made goods.
“And what about immigration,” Kaye wondered as she was getting ready to tac yet another node onto this vast constituency pleasing conspiracy. After noting how Trump had been open to a deal for DACA, which the Democrats punted on, she lamented how “once again [Trump] is taking a harder stance” and suggested he was “stoking fears for the upcoming midterms like he did during the campaign.”
Kaye also had a warning about the insidious reason why Trump wanted to send the National Guard down to the U.S.-Mexico border:
And those National Guard troops the President plans to send to help shore up the southern border with Mexico? Border security is an issue that won him lots of support during the campaign, and he's playing to that base again.
“Promises in the year 2018 that sound a lot like 2016,” she concluded.
The seriousness in which CNN reported on Trump trying to please the people who elected him would be comical if it wasn’t so pathetic. CNN’s report was largely tailored to coastal elitists who had to have it explained to them why those policies were popular in flyover country. This is CNN.
Transcript below, click expand to read:
CNN
Anderson Cooper 360
April 4, 2018
9:31:57 PM Eastern [3 minutes 4 seconds][On screen headline: Pres. Trump Playing to His Base on Multiple Fronts]
ANDERSON COOPER: President Trump's tweets over the past few days have taken aim at many targets, Amazon, the media, former President Obama to name just a few. But in a very real sense, he's playing to a single audience, his political base. More from our Randi Kaye tonight.
[Cuts to video]
DONALD TRUMP: We have retailers all over the United States who are going out of business.
RANDI KAYE: If the President is trying to impress his base, comments like that may do the trick. No doubt Trump has a personal beef with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post. But Trump, in going after Amazon, is also defending brick and mortar retailers, which he says are getting squeezed.
TRUMP: You look at some of these small towns where they had a beautiful main street with stores. The stores are all gone.
KAYE: Those retailers in many cases, mom and pop shops, part of what Donald Trump sees as his base. His effort to keep his supporters in middle America and elsewhere happy may explain some of his recent rhetoric about tariffs too, sounding more like he did during the campaign.
TRUMP: China is upset because of the way Donald Trump is talking about trade with China. They're ripping us off, folks. It's time.
KAYE: Trump's move to slap tariffs on China was a nod to his base. But less than 24 hours after the White House unveiled a list of Chinese imports they plan to target for unfair trade practices, China slapped its own tariffs on the United States, targeting agriculture exports from U.S. Farm belt states like soybean, corn, wheat, and beef. Now farmers who largely supported Trump could get hurt. Still, Trump's top economic adviser hinted that in the end, there may be no tariffs at all.
LARRY KUDLOW: I doubt if there will be any concrete actions for several months. We'll see how that plays out. Nothing concrete has actually happened. These are proposals.
KAYE: And what about immigration? After a tough-talking campaign and deciding to end the DACA program last year, the President started to sound as if he were willing to cross the aisle on immigration issues. In January, even calling for a bipartisan, quote, “bill of love to protect dreamers.” The hundreds of thousands of young people brought here illegally. But now once again is taking a harder stance.
The president on a tear about weak laws and porous borders, stoking fears for the upcoming midterms like he did during the campaign. In a tweet on Sunday, the President announced “no more DACA deal.”
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: The President has been very clear, put multiple proposals on the table to fix the problem, and Democrats have not been willing to take a deal that was actually a really good deal and went much further than the previous administration.
KAYE: And those National Guard troops the President plans to send to help shore up the southern border with Mexico? Border security is an issue that won him lots of support during the campaign, and he's playing to that base again.
KIRSTJEN NIELSEN: It will be strong. It will be as many as is needed to fill the gaps.
KAYE: Promises in the year 2018 that sound a lot like 2016. Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
