An utter lack of class was on full display on MSNBC Tuesday night as they were kicking off their coverage of Night Two of the Republican National Convention. In his opening monologue for The Beat, host Ari Melber suggested that former President Trump’s bandaged ear – injured after he was shot in the head during a failed assassination attempt – was “a prop” and “a spectacle” being “mine[d]” by Republicans purely for political purposes.
Melber’s rant started off respectful enough. He described Trump’s arrival on the convention floor Monday night a “stark proof-of-life moment.” “And the reality is, this is a human being who was almost shot to death on live TV in front of his supporters and family this weekend,” he stated.
But things immediately took a turn when he added that it was “also showmanship by a politician known for his mastery of what they call unscripted reality TV.” He highlighted the ramblings of New York Times chief TV critic James Ponewozik, who said Trump’s bandaged ear was “a prop”:
Here's how The New York Times put it: “On the first night of this convention, Trump was his own biggest prop. He entered the VIP box, a large white bandage on his injured right ear, the result of a close call on Saturday with a would-be assassin’s bullet. A reminder of mortality, a badge of survival – it was a blank rectangle on which the crowd could read what it wished, and that made it the most potent placard in the hall.”
“A placard for delegates to fill in, an image for political mobilization, a spectacle for this candidate who we know is – by his own admission – obsessed with assorted spectacles,” Melber expanded.
The bloviating continued as he said the voters would decide if Trump was “overextending” his effort to “mine” the injury for sympathy votes:
These aren’t normal times. This is not a normal convention. Whether that makes it abnormal in a way that is either special or abnormal in a way that is bad, is what voters will assess because many are watching over the course of these nights; along with you and our team here.
There is a political quest here to mine and use Donald Trump's injury. And whether his allies and Republicans, or the candidate himself do that in a way that overextends their credibility will be decided by the voters. That is one good thing we hope we can still agree on in this country, because this is – as I said – a scary reality we all lived through this weekend and a political project. So, it's a question for voters and for time itself.
“But the RNC has certainly begun intensely,” he concluded before going to soundbites from the previous night.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
MSNBC’s The Beat
July 16, 2024
6:01:58 p.m. Eastern(…)
ARI MELBER: You could hardly script a more stark proof-of-life moment as what you see here when he stepped out. And the reality is, this is a human being who was almost shot to death on live TV in front of his supporters and family this weekend.
And yet this is also showmanship by a politician known for his mastery of what they call unscripted reality TV. Taking this supremely visible seat in the VIP box with his new running mate and party leaders and a long-time TV personality, Tucker Carlson up there as well last night.
Here's how The New York Times put it: “On the first night of this convention, Trump was his own biggest prop. He entered the VIP box, a large white bandage on his injured right ear, the result of a close call on Saturday with a would-be assassin’s bullet. A reminder of mortality, a badge of survival – it was a blank rectangle on which the crowd could read what it wished, and that made it the most potent placard in the hall.”
That's fair. A placard for delegates to fill in, an image for political mobilization, a spectacle for this candidate who we know is – by his own admission – obsessed with assorted spectacles.
These aren’t normal times. This is not a normal convention. Whether that makes it abnormal in a way that is either special or abnormal in a way that is bad, is what voters will assess because many are watching over the course of these nights; along with you and our team here.
There is a political quest here to mine and use Donald Trump's injury. And whether his allies and Republicans, or the candidate himself do that in a way that overextends their credibility will be decided by the voters. That is one good thing we hope we can still agree on in this country, because this is – as I said – a scary reality we all lived through this weekend and a political project. So, it's a question for voters and for time itself.
But the RNC has certainly begun intensely.
(…)
