While both NBC’s Today and ABC’s Good Morning America found the time on Thursday to devote minute-long segments to First Lady Michelle Obama rapping about kids going to college, neither morning show bothered to mention President Obama’s strategy or lack thereof to combat radical Islamic terrorism in the wake of the San Bernardino attacks.
On Today, co-host Tamron Hall declared: “And now to the First Lady Michelle Obama rapping for a good cause, to get kids to go to college. Take a listen.” After a clip played of the rap, Hall proclaimed: “That’s incredible, right?...Drop the mic, officially. Mrs. Obama partnering with one our favorites, Jay Pharoah of SNL....all part of a new education initiative called, Better Make Room. I say, she needs to host SNL...” Fellow co-host Savannah Guthrie agreed: “That’s a good idea.”
Hall also touted how the First Lady “and the President are sharing their favorite movies of the year. The First Couple revealing their picks in the latest issue of People magazine. The President went with Matt Damon’s sci-fi thriller, The Martian. And the First Lady, well, her favorite movie of the year was the cute one, Inside Out.”
On Good Morning America, co-host Michael Strahan gushed: “Now this morning the White House getting a little white hot, thank the First Lady Michelle Obama. She teamed up with SNL’s Jay Pharoah, dropping a surprise rap song called Go to College.”
After hearing the rap, he enthused: “Whoa. I'm on iTunes right after the show to get that one. Now the song comes as part of a larger White House effort to address falling U.S. college graduation rates. All for a good cause. And I love when the First Lady does things like this.”
Co-host Robin Roberts chimed in: “She's into it! Yeah.” Strahan added: “But I gotta say, she puts the flow in FLOTUS, you know what I mean?”
The only mention of Obama’s foreign policy on Good Morning America came from Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, who told George Stephanopoulos: “...there isn't a place on Earth where America is stronger or safer after Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State or Barack Obama has been president. Ask me. Ask them. What part of the world today is safer or more stable and America is stronger after seven years of Clinton and Obama in charge of our foreign policy?”
Here is a full transcript of Hall’s December 10 report on Today:
8:16 AM ET
TAMRON HALL: And now to the First Lady Michelle Obama rapping for a good cause, to get kids to go to college. Take a listen.
MICHELLE OBAMA: South side Chicago we all know, we had to do overtime every night to make it tomorrow. And everyone could really make their dream true. Hey, kid listening in Michigan that could be you.
HALL: That’s incredible, right?
AL ROKER: Wow.
HALL: Drop the mic, officially. Mrs. Obama partnering with one our favorites, Jay Pharoah of SNL, and the people over at CollgeHumor. This is incredible, all part of a new education initiative called, Better Make Room. I say, she needs to host SNL after they wrap up the party.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: That’s a good idea.
HALL: It would be interesting to see.
And speaking of the First Lady, she and the President are sharing their favorite movies of the year. The First Couple revealing their picks in the latest issue of People magazine. The President went with Matt Damon’s sci-fi thriller, The Martian. And the First Lady, well, her favorite movie of the year was the cute one, Inside Out.
ROKER: That was a great movie.
NATALIE MORALES: I love that movie.
HALL: It was so good. A heartfelt movie led by none other than Amy Poehler. Amy standing by, what do you think about it, Amy?
AMY POEHLER: I knew she was a genius.
ROKER: I'd like to see Amy Poehler and Michelle Obama rapping, now that would be –
POEHLER: Oh, anytime. Anytime.
HALL: And throw in a little Vice President Biden, the trifecta.
ROKER: Rap-master Joe.
HALL: Thank you very much, Amy. And there’s you’re Pop Fix guys.
GUTHRIE: Alright, Tamron, thank you so much.
