Throughout his one-on-one debate with former Congressman Sean Duffy, CNN host Chris Cuomo repeatedly slammed Republicans for their “silence” on President Trump’s tweet declaring that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “teeth were falling out” and called into question the Christianity of Duffy and others in the GOP for daring to defend the remark: "If you want to hold yourself as a Christian, you can’t make any of the arguments you’re making right now.”
At the same time, Cuomo defended some of Pelosi’s uncharitable remarks directed at the President. Before introducing Duffy, Cuomo asked a rhetorical question: “should you be defending a man when you know it will force you to own the ugliness that he spits out so often that you can’t possibly agree with?” Cuomo also asked, “how do you keep your credibility with this kind of silence?” Addressing Duffy, Cuomo proclaimed: “Telling the President he’s right is being a follower, telling him he’s wrong is being a leader and nobody seems to want to do that in your party.”
While Duffy acknowledged that Trump “says some pretty rough-and-tumble things,” he also pointed out that the folks on the other side of the aisle have treated the President with a great deal of “ugliness,” bringing up Pelosi’s characterization of the Commander-in-Chief as an “imposter” and the left’s repeated attempts to smear him as a “racist, a sexist, (and) a Nazi.” Cuomo pushed back on the idea that Trump has repeatedly been “railroaded” by the left and slammed Republicans for their failure to say “He should not have said that about Nancy Pelosi. It was an ugly remark that is beneath the presidency.”
When Duffy dared to suggest that people on both sides of the aisle have a “responsibility...to be more respectful with one another,” Cuomo shot back: “why would I take that message from you when you refuse to call out the person who says the ugliest things most constantly?” Cuomo also accused Duffy of ceding “the high ground morally” by not criticizing Trump’s tweet and defended Pelosi calling into question the President’s manhood and calling him an imposter by saying “she says she prays for him every day and doesn’t hate him.”
Eventually, Cuomo tried calling into question the Christianity of Duffy and every other Republican who defends Trump. As Duffy explained “we want the freedom of religion,” Cuomo complained that “often gets translated into the ability to discriminate against others.” The CNN host proceeded to lecture Duffy: “If you want to hold yourself as a Christian, you can’t make any of the arguments you’re making right now.”
Towards the end of the segment, Cuomo did admit that the violence and intimidation directed at “Republicans and administration folks” was “wrong when it happens.” He also added an addendum: “if it’s Antifa, then they are not protesters...They’re rioting thugs…and criminals.” Cuomo definitely demonstrated growth by daring to say anything unflattering about Antifa, a group he had previously defended as a “good cause.”
As the segment came to a close, Duffy made a point that everyone can agree on: “The…hate that has come around politics today is outrageous.” Too bad Cuomo and others in the legacy media always rush to defend the “hate” perpetuated by the left.
A partial ranscript of Monday’s edition of Cuomo Prime Time is below. Click “expand” to read more.
Cuomo Prime Time
12/16/19
09:35 PM
CHRIS CUOMO: One of the reasons it’s hard to defend Trump is that he demands you defend everything he does and says. And that raises what we call the “Defenders’ Dilemma.” Should you be defending a man when you know it will force you to own the ugliness that he spits out so often that you can’t possibly agree with? For example, attacking Nancy Pelosi with a tweet about her teeth falling out, “Unorthodox,” they say, and “he’s frustrated,” they say. What they don’t say is what they would say immediately if anyone else said anything like this. So, the question becomes how do you keep your credibility with this kind of silence? Let’s bring in former Republican Congressman Sean Duffy. Blessings for Christmas for you and the family. Thanks for being with me.
SEAN DUFFY: You too, Chris. Happy…Merry Christmas.
CUOMO: So, you get the question, you know.
DUFFY: Yeah.
CUOMO: Telling the President he’s right is being a follower. Telling him he’s wrong is being a leader. And nobody seems to want to do that in your party.
...
CUOMO: I don’t think he gets railroaded. He’s the most powerful person in the world. He pulls the strings, which is why we haven’t even heard from the people who know most about the Ukraine situation. So, he’s doing fine, okay? He’s President of the United States. Two things. One, I don’t believe in this equivalency that a President has to act like who his critics are. The President is the biggest man in the room. The biggest man in the room does not behave like the people who are coming at him, right? You ever hear the expression “The lion is not concerned by the complaints of the sheep?” The second thing is, Sean, you guys will say, “Well, we don’t like everything he says.” No, you never say that you don’t like what he says. None of you will say…
DUFFY: Listen…
CUOMO: …“He should not have said that about Nancy Pelosi. It was an ugly remark that is beneath the presidency,” none of you have said it.
...
DUFFY: So in the…in a…in a Christmas spirit though, Chris, I think when do we stop pointing the finger…when do I stop pointing the finger at liberals or the…or…or the…or…or media that’s not fair to him, and you know, liberals stop saying “It’s Donald Trump’s fault?” When do we all say it’s our responsibility, whether we’re in our homes, or our communities, or in our conversations, to be more respectful with one another? I think that’s what…
CUOMO: But why…because…
DUFFY: …what it really comes down to.
CUOMO: …because why would I take that message from you when you refuse to call out the person who says…
DUFFY: So…
CUOMO: …the ugliest things most constantly?
...
CUOMO: I’m the tough guy from Queens, okay? And I don’t have a guy…three guys coming at me in front of my kid every day. When you’re on television, when you’re in office, you’re supposed to be trying to be your best. And I can’t believe that your argument is “there are people who support the President who feel that he’s taking too much criticism, so they are okay with him saying that Nancy Pelosi’s teeth are falling out.” Where is your high ground…
DUFFY: But…but do you…
CUOMO: …morally…
DUFFY: …think that it’s okay for Nancy…
CUOMO: …if you won’t call it out?
DUFFY: But do you think it’s okay for Nancy to…Pelosi…Pelosi to call into question his manhood, or to call him an imposter?
CUOMO: She says she prays for him every day.
...
CUOMO: Remind me, Sean, are you a Christian?
DUFFY: I think I am. Yeah.
CUOMO: And your party by…
DUFFY: I’m a Catholic.
CUOMO: Your…your party basically wants to make Christianity the religion of this country, but certainly the guiding…
DUFFY: No.
CUOMO: …light of its…
DUFFY: No.
CUOMO: …party. And this is my point.
DUFFY: We want the freedom of religion, for freedom…the freedom to practice whatever religion you choose…Chris.
CUOMO: Which often gets…
DUFFY: …Chris.
CUOMO: …translated into the ability to discriminate against others. What I’m saying is this…
DUFFY: Not at all, I mean, come on.
CUOMO: …if you want to hold yourself as a Christian, you can’t make any of the arguments you’re making right now. Now, I’ll give Trump a break. I don’t believe that his faith is that important to him. But for the…for the Republican Party to say, “Hey man, they’re coming at him. He’s got to come back same way. Knuckle up, baby.”
DUFFY: No. no.
CUOMO: “It doesn’t matter if it’s an 80-year old woman. He should talk about her teeth falling out. Yeah, it’s all good.”
DUFFY: No, no, no, but…
CUOMO: That’s not a Christian way to look at the world.
...
