After completely ignoring previous polls that showed President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis getting majority support, NBC political director Chuck Todd used a portion of Sunday’s Meet the Press to whine that a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll had found the President’s approval rating was unmoved from a year ago, despite his impeachment and the pandemic.
“Now think about what's happened, guys. We had an impeachment and a pandemic. So, an impeachment and a pandemic has happened in between April of '19 and April of 2020 and the President's job ratings are 46 percent approve, 51 percent disapprove,” he announced complete with a dramatic pause before the reveal.
Turning to NBC White House correspondent Peter Alexander, Todd whined that “obviously, the durable nature of the President at times knows no bounds. A pandemic, an impeachment, nothing seems to break through there.” And in his question to Alexander, Todd suggested the President seemed ready to wash his hands of the crisis.
Of course, Alexander agreed with his host’s premise and suggested the problem was that we had an extraordinarily selfish President that had to deal with a problem facing the populous:
But what's particularly striking here is you sort of have this ‘me President’ in what is best described as a ‘we crisis.’ The President, who as you said earlier in your conversation with the Vice President, is trying to sort of claim credit for the guidelines being out. They say they beat the May 1 deadline, saying he's trying to move the economy on, get things back to normal life, is now casting the blame for perceived failures on testing and other issues if the economy isn't to come back quick enough, on the governors here.
Alexander then praised Hollywood celebrities who, unlike the President, were “acting selflessly, working together with other nations, including frankly the World Health Organization and the effort to stay inside.”
And while Todd was upset Trump’s approval wasn’t falling, Alexander mocked how it wasn’t increasing either. “Most presidents you would see really raise their numbers, they would rise dramatically in moments of crisis like this. It hasn't been the case for this President,” he said, as if the media wasn’t acting as its own divisive political faction.
Several minutes later, and after two commercial breaks, Todd touted the poll’s findings for the 2020 general election matchup:
Here's a couple of the political items from our new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. I know, some of you want to see the big head-to-head, Trump V. Biden. Well, here it is. Biden continues to lead here. He leads by seven in this new one, 49/42. He's essentially had about that kind of lead over the President throughout this calendar year.
Todd noted that the poll had found more people trusted Trump to handle the economy, but gloated about how Biden “leads the President on handling a crisis, and Biden that leads the President on responding to coronavirus.” He then mocked how recent incumbent presidents had led their challengers when it came to who the public trusted to handle a crisis.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC’s Meet the Press
April 19, 2020
11:07:46 a.m. EasternCHUCK TODD: Welcome. I want to show the President's job approval rating trend in our new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. Here it is from April of 2019. I want to show you these numbers here. 46 approved. 51 disapproved.
Now think about what's happened, guys. We had an impeachment and a pandemic. So, an impeachment and a pandemic has happened in between April of '19 and April of 2020 and the President's job ratings are [dramatic pause] 46 percent approve, 51 percent disapprove.
Peter Alexander, obviously, the durable nature of the President at times knows no bounds. A pandemic, an impeachment, nothing seems to break through there. That said, the President seems to be, and I'm curious, Peter, he seems to have moved on to a new phase. He seems to believe he's got a big part of his job on the pandemic done.
PETER ALEXANDER: Yeah, Chuck, I think you're exactly right. And in my conversations with White House officials and those close to the President, they agree. They say in the eyes of the President, this is a transition to a new phase.
But what's particularly striking here is you sort of have this ‘me President’ in what is best described as a ‘we crisis.’ The President, who as you said earlier in your conversation with the Vice President, is trying to sort of claim credit for the guidelines being out. They say they beat the May 1 deadline, saying he's trying to move the economy on, get things back to normal life, is now casting the blame for perceived failures on testing and other issues if the economy isn't to come back quick enough, on the governors here.
And you just compare that, Chuck, to what Americans – a lot of them – millions of Americans watched last night with leaders and artists together in this concert that was watched around the globe. Right? This was something that focused on the sort of sense of togetherness right now. Acting selflessly, working together with other nations, including frankly the World Health Organization and the effort to stay inside.
Most presidents you would see really raise their numbers, they would rise dramatically in moments of crisis like this. It hasn't been the case for this President.
TODD: No, there's been a temptation to engage politically.
(…)
11:23:09 a.m. Eastern
TODD: Welcome back. Here's a couple of the political items from our new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. I know, some of you want to see the big head-to-head, Trump V. Biden. Well, here it is. Biden continues to lead here. He leads by seven in this new one, 49/42. He's essentially had about that kind of lead over the President throughout this calendar year.
But here are some matchups on some specific issues. President Trump leads Biden on who best to handle the economy. But it is Biden that leads the President on handling a crisis, and Biden that leads the President on responding to coronavirus.
Dani Pletka, we went back. The last three incumbent presidents when asked about who best to handle a crisis, Obama was picked over Romney. Bush was picked over Kerry, Clinton was picked over Dole. It's rare to see an incumbent president not seen as better handling a crisis in the middle of a campaign.
(…)
