Rapper Kanye West and Hall of Fame football star Jim Brown met with President Trump on Thursday to discuss criminal justice reform and to convince him that stop and frisk was a terrible policy. Kayne being Kayne, he stole the spotlight as he told the President, among other things, how much he appreciated him. Of course, during their evening programs, the liberal broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) put a hyper-focus on Kayne and all but ignored why they were there.
Combined, the broadcast networks spent 5 minutes and 59 seconds on Kanye’s visit to the White House (ABC = 1 minute, 58 seconds; CBS = 2 minutes, 4 seconds; NBC = 1 minute, 57 seconds). But when it came to the policy proposals Kanye and Brown were there to promote, the nets punted with a total of 27 seconds. CBS Evening News had the most with 21 seconds.
On NBC Nightly News, White House correspondent Peter Alexander passingly mentioned that Kanye received “a presidential invitation intended to focus on social issues with a superstar ambassador.” That fleeting mention lasted all of six seconds and with absolutely zero detail.
Meanwhile on ABC’s World News Tonight, they never mentioned why Kanye was there but chief White House correspondent Jon Karl, who got a hug from the rapper, commented on how “the meeting, capped a frenetic 24-hours for the President that included a bill signing with Kid Rock and a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania.”
Karl’s quick mention of Kid Rock completely glossed over the fact that more music artists were there, including Sam Moore, John Rich, and Craig Morgan, to witness the signing of the Music Modernization Act. The law ensured that musicians received royalties from music streaming services. Embarrassingly, it was something ABC covered online earlier that day.
And on NBC, they were more concerned with making Kanye look like a madman on a rampage in the Oval Office. “Now to the surreal scene in the Oval Office with President Trump and the White House press gathered around the resolute desk. Kanye West took the stage and went on an extended rambling monologue,” announced anchor Lester Holt as he led into the report.
“For more than ten minutes, the controversial rapper delivering a frenetic at times jarring monologue (…) West repeatedly slapping the historic resolute desk; freestyling by our count on more than 40 topics,” Alexander huffed (although Karl claimed the topics Kanye talked about were just over a dozen). “West sharing he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder before getting a second opinion.”
CBS chief White House correspondent Major Garrett was the only one to give Kanye’s reason for being there any considerable airtime. “West and Hall of Fame football player Jim Brown were at the White House to discuss criminal justice reform and other issues with the President,” he reported. “West, a Chicago native, questioned Mr. Trump's support of the police practice of stop and frisk.”
“We feel that stop and frisk does not help the relationships in the city,” Kanye said in a soundbite that CBS aired. Garrett also noted that Kanye’s wife, “Kim Kardashian successfully lobbied the President to commute the sentence of a woman convicted of a federal drug offense.”
This shows that the liberal broadcast networks were more obsessed with covering the “Trump Show” rather than cover the serious policy considerations.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC's World News Tonight
October 11, 2018
6:44:36 p.m. Eastern(…)
JON KARL: President Trump invited the cameras into the Oval Office for his meeting with rapper and provocateur Kanye West and football great Jim Brown. West launching into an extended soliloquy about Donald Trump and his red make America great again hat.
(…)
KARL: The rapper's meandering monologue touched on more than a dozen topics. The President almost seemed at a loss for words.
(…)
KARL: The meeting, capped a frenetic 24-hours for the president that included a bill signing with Kid Rock and a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania.
(…)
CBS Evening News
October 11, 2018
6:43 p.m. Eastern(…)
MAJOR GARRETT: West and hall of fame football player Jim Brown were at the White House to discuss criminal justice reform and other issues with the President. West, a Chicago native, questioned Mr. Trump's support of the police practice of stop and frisk.
KANYE WEST: We feel that stop and frisk does not help the relationships in the city.
PRESIDNET DONALD TRUMP: I'm open minded. I'm here.
GARRETT: Earlier this year West's wife and reality TV star Kim Kardashian successfully lobbied the President to commute the sentence of a woman convicted of a federal drug offense. At today's meeting, the President by turns appeared perplexed, pleased, and amused.
(…)
NBC Nightly News
October 11, 2018
7:05 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: Now to the surreal scene in the Oval Office with President Trump and the White House press gathered around the resolute desk. Kanye West took the stage and went on an extended rambling monologue. Peter Alexander now on the at times bizarre moment and message.
[Cuts to video]
(…)
PETER ALEXANDER: For more than ten minutes, the controversial rapper delivering a frenetic at times jarring monologue.
(…)
ALEXANDER: West repeatedly slapping the historic resolute desk; freestyling by our count on more than 40 topics.
(…)
KANYE WEST: What I think is, we don't need sentences, we need pardons.
(…)
ALEXANDER: West sharing he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder before getting a second opinion.
WEST: He said that I actually wasn't bipolar, I had sleep deprivation, which could cause dementia.
ALEXANDER: A Presidential invitation intended to focus on social issues with a superstar ambassador. The surreal scene, a mutual admiration society.
(…)
