Over the weekend, President Trump blasted Congressman Elijah Cummings (D) for having done “nothing” for his congressional district, which included a large portion of Baltimore, Maryland. Trump described it as “a disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess” that was “dangerous” and “filthy”. Of course, the liberal media led the Democratic Party choir in calling Trump’s attack “racist” while completely ignoring what the facts were on the ground.
During their Sunday morning newscasts, both ABC News and NBC News took up an editorial stance and unloaded on the President by suggesting he was stoking racial divisions, and by lashing out at his supporters for liking it. And at no point did they try to share any facts or statistics about Baltimore that contracted the President.
“The President calling Baltimore, dangerous, filthy, and rat-infested. Now, some are calling some of those comments racist and unacceptable,” announced Good Morning America co-anchor Whit Johnson. ABC White House correspondent Tara Palmeri followed up by gleefully reading the headline of a “scathing” Baltimore Sun “editorial titled ‘Better to have a few rats than to be one.’”
Palmeri carried water for the liberal suggestion that Trump’s comments were motivated by racist intent because he was talking about a “predominantly black city” and attacking “yet another Congress member of color”.
It’s a suggestion that was totally nonsensical because President Trump attacked everyone, even white people. Here’s a short list of the white politicians he’s attacked over the years: Senator John McCain, Senator Mitt Romney, most of the 2016 Republican field, Senator Lindsey Graham, the Bush family, the Clintons, and the list goes on. The liberal media ignore those facts for the sake of the narrative.
Of course, that didn’t stop Palmeri from touting the response from Democrats:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi swiftly condemned the tweets as “racist”. Tweeting, “we all reject racist attacks against him.” Trump also used that term "infested" on Twitter to target four minority congresswomen last week. Telling them to, quote, “go back to the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came.”
She then knocked Congressional Republicans because “40 Democratic Congress members have come out to condemn the President’s attacks. Many of them called calling them racist, but not a single Republican member has come out against the President.”
It was much the same on NBC’s Sunday Today where correspondent Mike Viqueira declared that “President Trump is once again attacking a leading person-of-color in Congress, igniting another firestorm and bringing more charges that he is using race to try to divide Americans for political gain.”
He briefly noted a video circulating on social media “depicting several trash-strewn properties” in Baltimore, but discredited it as being filmed by a “Trump supporter” and shared by Fox News.
When host Willie Geist turned to NBC political director Chuck Todd for analysis, the Meet the Press moderator chalked it up to Trump seeking a distraction via his “racial division business”. And lashed out at Trump supporters, saying: “his base likes it … It stokes the base … He thinks it's a positive.”
Unironically, Geist reported that “the President continuing now to attack Nancy Pelosi’s city of San Francisco. He’ll spare you that tweet.” Geist was likely refusing to share the tweet because it meant they had to acknowledge the fact that Trump was saying similar things about a white congresswoman and about a city that had a massive problem with people defecating in the streets.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
July 28, 2019
8:04:38 a.m. EasternWHIT JOHNSON: We do want to transition, though, President Trump facing fierce backlash after his blistering attack on Congressman Elijah Cummings and the city the Democrat represents. The President calling Baltimore, dangerous, filthy, and rat-infested. Now, some are calling some of those comments racist and unacceptable. ABC's White House correspondent Tara Palmeri is on the north lawn with that war of words. Tara, good morning.
TARA PALMERI: Good morning, Whit. Many of the residents and political leaders of Baltimore have been reacting with outrage. The Baltimore Sun was out with a scathing editorial titled “Better to have a few rats than to be one.” But President Trump is doubling down and as of midnight last night, still tweeting about Congressman Cummings and his city.
[Cuts to video]
The Mayor of Baltimore firing back at the President after he tweeted, calling the predominantly black city a “disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess,” and claiming “no human being would want to live there.”
(…)
PALMERI: This defense in response to the President's attack on yet another Congress member of color. Elijah Cummings, who's been holding hearings on the inhumane conditions in migrant detention centers.
(…)
PALMERI: The President attacking Cummings for his investigation. Tweeting, “Elijah Cummings spends all of his time trying to hurt innocence people through ‘Oversight.’ He does nothing for his very poor, very dangerous, and very badly run district.” Cummings district includes most of Baltimore and is majority black.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi swiftly condemned the tweets as “racist”. Tweeting, “we all reject racist attacks against him.” Trump also used that term "infested" on Twitter to target four minority congresswomen last week. Telling them to, quote, “go back to the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came.”
All four congresswomen are American citizens. Only one, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, was born outside of the United States, in Somalia. The President’s attacks on Omar prompting this chant at a rally in North Carolina.
CROWD: Send her back! Send her back!
PALMERI: Now, Cummings defending himself. Tweeting, “it is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But, it's my moral duty to fight for my constituents.” CNN anchor Victor Blackwell brought to tears by the President's characterization of his hometown.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: People get up and go to work there. They care for their families there, they love their children who pledge allegiance to the flag. Just like people who live in districts of congressmen who support you, sir. They are Americans, too.
[Cuts back to live]
PALMERI: About 40 Democratic Congress members have come out to condemn the President’s attacks. Many of them called calling them racist, but not a single Republican member has come out against the President.
NBC’s Sunday Today
July 28, 2019
8:02:03 a.m. EasternWILLIE GEIST: But let’s begin this morning with President Trump's ongoing rant against the city of Baltimore and the Democratic congressman who represents it. The President back at it this morning. Mike Viqueira is at the White House for us with the latest. Mike, good morning.
MIKE VIQUEIRA: Well, good morning to you, Willie. President Trump is once again attacking a leading person-of-color in Congress, igniting another firestorm and bringing more charges that he is using race to try to divide Americans for political gain.
[Cuts to video]
President Trump anger at Representative Elijah Cummings has been simmering for days, after Cummings grilled the acting Homeland Security Secretary over conditions at the southern border.
(…)
VIQUEIRA: The exchange prompted a Trump supporter to shoot this video in west Baltimore, part of Cummings' sprawling congressional district, depicting several trash-strewn properties. Minutes after the video aired on Fox, Mr. Trump launched his Twitter attack. “Representative Elijah Cummings has been a brutal bully shouting and screaming at the great men and women of Border Patrol about conditions at the southern border. [Transition] Cummings' district is a disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous and filthy place.”
Cummings, whose district is majority black, is leading one of several House Committee investigations into the Trump administration. He answered Mr. Trump with a conciliatory tone. “Mr. President, I go home to my district daily. Each morning I go and fight for my neighbors. It is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch, but it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents.”
House Speaker Nancy labeled Trump's attack “racist” while Democratic presidential hopefuls returned fire.
(…)
[Cuts back to live]
VIQUEIRA: And Willie, evidently, the President thinks this is working out for him. He is tweeting again this morning -- early this morning. A tweet this morning, “someone please explain to Nancy Pelosi, who was recently called racist by those in her own party, that there is nothing wrong with bringing out the very obvious fact that Congressman Elijah Cummings has done a very poor job for his district and the city of Baltimore. Willie.
GEIST: And the President continuing now to attack Nancy Pelosi’s city of San Francisco. He’ll spare you that tweet. Mike Viqueira at the White House. Mike, thanks so much.
Chuck Todd is NBC's political director and moderator of Meet the Press. Chuck, good morning. The President obviously knows when he is on to something or thinks he’s on to something, burrowing in on this attack on Elijah Cummings and the city of Baltimore. What’s he up to here?
CHUCK TODD: Well, it's deflection. I mean, let’s remember in this case, I think there is two parts to this. Deflection is the biggest one. This is about trying to almost distract from that Elijah Cummings is investigating: the horrible conditions that the children being kept in these immigrant camps. Right?
Also, by the way, the Oversight Committee is looking into a lot more than what's going on at the border. There are a lot of things that Elijah Cummings' committee is looking at about the President, about Jared Kushner, about Ivanka Trump. So, this is personal for the President. The President is taking all that personally.
I think we can’t let that get lost. This is about him. And the President knows. He sparks a race-- you know, does this racial division business, which is what he does quite a bit. He knows it serves two purposes. One, is that it distracts from the story he doesn't like, and that's is what Cummings is investigating, and, two, his base likes it.
GEIST: It’s no question.
TODD: It stokes the base. He thinks it's a positive.
