Throughout President Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, he accented his address and policy proposals by looking to the balcony and calling attention to the stories of great Americans, just as every President since Ronald Reagan had done. But in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, CNN’s Cuomo PrimeTime took issue with Trump’s use of those guests, with one decrying the scene as akin to Oprah Winfrey handing out free cars.
Following lengthy discussions about Iowa, host Chris Cuomo teed up the panel discussion by blasting Trump for not living up the great people he had as his guests.
“The President in that speech tonight celebrated what the country is about for one set of moments. Our diversity. How we overcome. How we come together. But is that what he's really about? And is that for them-- something for them to use as a sword and a shield,” he scoffed.
During the segment, Cuomo repeatedly and rightly boasted about the wonderful Americans that represented the valor, determination, and resilience of the American people. But Cuomo refused to share any soundbites from those “really poignant moments.” Instead, he told his audience to “go online and look.”
Hitting on his gripe that the President didn’t live up to those examples, Cuomo turned to CNN political analyst April Ryan, someone who parties with creepy porn lawyer Michael Avenatti, to comment on whether “this President celebrates by what he says and does on a regular basis?”
Ryan’s first response was to belittle the address as merely “entertaining.” Flaunting her pettiness, she then whined about how some of the guests were being surprised and awarded for their great deeds:
A really good use actually of people to show his examples. But instead of doing it tonight, why not every day? Tonight, it felt like Oprah when she said you get a car, you get a car, you get a car. Or Ellen giving out books or something on the talk show.
It seemed like every time someone popped up they were getting something. They were either a chance at a school of their choice. A gold star. And Rush Limbaugh. Someone who is a birther received the presidential Medal of Freedom. And I watched Twitter and people were very upset.
That’s right, she was irritated that a little girl got to go to a good school, a military wife was surprised with her husband, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen was promoted to brigadier general, and, of course, sharing the tears of her liberal elitist bubble. Well, Ryan, here’s some facts for you: Many people were very happy for Limbaugh too.
“And does this all equate to the President’s inclusive society? Well, this President is trying to win the Oval Office for a second time,” she huffed.
At another point in the discussion (and prior to Ryan’s pettiness), liberal commentator Bakari Sellers and Cuomo commiserated about how people on the right were angry at Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for childishly tearing up a copy of Trump’s speech, and compared it to when Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) yelled “you lie” at President Obama. Of course, they failed to mention the out of control Democrats making a scene in the chamber by heckling and walking out.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Cuomo PrimeTime
February 5, 2020
12:41:26 a.m. EasternCHRIS CUOMO: All right. It was supposed to be a big moment tonight. What would the President do, what would he say? I’ll tell you what we all got see, the state of the politics at the State of the Union.
You want to see it? Here it is. Watch the President when he comes out. Hands one to Pence and one to Pelosi. Oh! What happened there? She reaches out the hand, he seems to snubs. And after the speech. Look what Pelosi did. She rips up the speech. The Speaker then tweeted out: “Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done.” I guess that’s what this was. “#ForThePeople. We will work to find common ground but stand our ground where we cannot.” That was the ripping up part. She called it a “manifesto of mistruths.”
The White House then tweeted out their explanation. No offer about what happened with handshake no excuse. Remember this is the never-admit-you-do-anything-wrong group. Right? They say this: “Speaker Pelosi just ripped up one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a child born at 21 weeks. The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. A service member’s reunion with his family. That's her legacy.”
Now look, the challenge to the White House is, those were really poignant moments. I don’t know if you saw them, but you should go online and look. And I'm going to talk to you about it more later on.
The President in that speech tonight celebrated what the country is about for one set of moments. Our diversity. How we overcome. How we come together. But is that what he's really about? And is that for them-- something for them to use as a sword and a shield? I don't know. But here's one thing I do know. This country is not just a sum of the actions of its politicians.
(…)
12:43:33 a.m. Eastern
BAKARI SELLERS: Well, listen, I think that the Republicans who are now being snowflakes and have a problem with the decorum at the State of the Union fail to remember my good friend Joe Wilson from the state of South Carolina, who yelled out you lie,--
CUOMO: You lie!
SELLERS: -- and Nancy Pelosi didn't come close to that.
(…)
12:44:46 a.m. Eastern
CUOMO: The idea of – You know, that was some moment with the Tuskegee Airman now brigadier general and his great-grandson. You know, literally aspiring to even greater heights than his fighter pilot great-grandfather. That's America at her best.
But the authenticity of those moments becomes a part of the criticism of the speech. April Ryan, in your estimation, is that the America that this President celebrates by what he says and does on a regular basis? The reunions, cancer research, you know, the overcoming American ideals that we saw tonight.
APRIL RYAN: Tonight, Chris, was entertaining. This President had a great use. A really good use actually of people to show his examples. But instead of doing it tonight, why not every day? Tonight, it felt like Oprah when she said you get a car, you get a car, you get a car. Or Ellen giving out books or something on the talk show.
It seemed like every time someone popped up they were getting something. They were either a chance at a school of their choice. A gold star. And Rush Limbaugh. Someone who is a birther received the presidential Medal of Freedom. And I watched Twitter and people were very upset.
And does this all equate to the President’s inclusive society? Well, this President is trying to win the Oval Office for a second time. This President has people like his friend Daryl Scott out in the country. Handing out hundreds of dollars in a lottery, if you will, to people -- buying votes. The NAACP is figuring out if it's legal to do that.
So, this President is once again working the ground game.
(…)
12:47:10 a.m. Eastern
CUOMO: Scott, let me get you into this, though. Look, this is not a box that is unfamiliar to you. The President said and did things tonight that were good. Were good to hear. Were good to see. Were good demonstrations of what the country is at her best. But he often acts in complete rejection of those things. So what are people supposed to believe?
SCOTT JENNINGS: Well look, I think the President gave the best speech of his presidency tonight. I think if he gives a version of that speech every day for the next nine months it won't be a close election in November. That's a winning message. And we'll see what the Democrats do with it. If this week is any judge, it’s going to be very pretty.
I mean, look, Donald Trump’s having the best week of his presidency, it's not over. His opposition party is obviously melting down tonight because of the speech he gave, they’re melting down in Iowa. He's going to be acquitted in bipartisan fashion tomorrow. His approval numbers are as high as they’ve been since the beginning of his presidency.
CUOMO (Speaking over Jennings): Bipartisan fashion? Hold on. Hold on.
JENNINGS: No, no, let me finish.
CUOMO: We're bringing back the no spin zone, here. How do you see it bipartisan tomorrow if one or two Democrats max vote to acquit him? Is that bipartisan?
JENNINGS: Well, because you have--
CUOMO: Then it was a bipartisan impeachment.
JENNINGS: -- you would have some Republicans and some Democrats. So, yes, I would define that as bipartisan.
CUOM: So, if you have two it's bipartisan?
JENNINGS: Yes. Of course.
CUOMO: Come on, Scott. Give me a break. That's silly.
JENNINGS: You want to whip out the dictionary tonight and see who’s right?
CUOMO: That’s always weak footing when it comes to you guys’ arguments, is to go to facts and history. Clinton was a bipartisan acquittal.
(…)
