Despite a CBS News/You Gov poll showing 76 percent of viewers approving of President Trump’s Tuesday State of the Union address, CNN chief national correspondent John King blasted the speech as a “disgrace” because it didn’t touch on topics important to liberals. Most notably, according to King, climate change.
After praising the Democratic Party’s response via Stacy Abrams, as “the best response Democrat or Republican I can remember in some years”, King noted she talked about “voting rights”, “climate change”, and “guns”.
“They believe it helps them, and they believe especially on the issue of climate change, especially on the issue of voting right, it helps them to talk about things the President won't talk about. You can shrug all you want,” King chided former GOP Senator Rick Santorum.
Santorum responded by pointing out the obvious: “I mean, the Republicans don't support any of those things. Why would you talk about them?”
King then unloaded on President Trump for not addressing climate change during his popular speech:
Well, all Americans should want our President, whatever the disagreements are, just look at his own national security review. Every leader, whatever his party should be talking about climate change. You can have a debate about what to do about it. But that the President of the United States, at this moment in the world, did not mention climate change in even a sentence is, just frankly, a disgrace. Any president, Democrat or Republican.
After slamming Washington, D.C. as a dysfunctional place can only work on “one thing at a time”, a clearly frustrated King almost appeared to demand that Trump abandon the fight over illegal immigration:
So the President has to make a choice: if we stay in this immigration debate, that's all we are going to do. We'll have another potential government shutdown in two weeks or he'll sign something to keep the government open but then declare the national emergency, it will end up in court. And any goodwill that was built tonight, any potential opening that was built tonight will be gone.
“So, will the President cut a deal, accept a compromise,” King wanted to know. “Or are we going to stay in this wall or nothing conversation for another two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, because if we do, forget any of this other stuff getting done.” This is CNN.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN State of the Union
February 5, 2019
11:01:02 p.m. Eastern(…)
JOHN KING: Just a couple of things. One, back to the Stacey Abrams speech. That's a very difficult job. That's the best response Democrat or Republican I can remember in some years. It's a very difficult job. It's a thankless job. But also, you learn about the differences between the two parties.
She talked about voting rights. She talked about climate change and she talked about guns. Well did not hear any of those subjects from the President of the United States. Democrats believe that animates their coalition. They believe it helps them, and they believe especially on the issue of climate change, especially on the issue of voting right, it helps them to talk about things the president won't talk about. You can shrug all you want.
RICK SANTORUM: I mean, the Republicans don't support any of those things. Why would you talk about them?
KING: Well, all Americans should want our president, whatever the disagreements are, just look at his own national security review. Every leader, whatever his party should be talking about climate change. You can have a debate about what to do about it. But that the President of the United States, at this moment in the world, did not mention climate change in even a sentence is, just frankly, a disgrace. Any president, Democrat or Republican.
SANTORUM: I couldn’t disagree with you more, just so you know. [Inaudible]
KING [Speaking over Santorum]: But back to the President and what the governor was just saying, look, the president has to make a choice. This town, sadly, you have some experience over here from when it was a little different, this town sadly has proven in the last 20 years it can only do one thing at a time. Sometimes it can't even do one thing at a time.
So the President has to make a choice: if we stay in this immigration debate, that's all we are going to do. We'll have another potential government shutdown in two weeks or he'll sign something to keep the government open but then declare the national emergency, it will end up in court. And any goodwill that was built tonight, any potential opening that was built tonight will be gone.
Does he want to? David can remember this in the early days of the Obama administration. They went with the stimulus plan and then health care. Everyone said, “I thought Obama was going to unite us”. And we can argue about who’s to blame for one or the other thing, but the town just went like that.
So, will the President cut a deal, accept a compromise? Can he -- You're right, he would have to get Speaker Pelosi to put something on the table to get it, and then say, “let's do infrastructure or let's do prescription drugs, let's do something where we can actually work together”. Or are we going to stay in this wall or nothing conversation for another two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, because if we do, forget any of this other stuff getting done.
(…)
