While discussing Barack Obama’s comments about Donald Trump, Andrea Mitchell on Wednesday lamented the “painful” and “insulting” attacks the President has endured. Regarding Obama’s assertion that Trump won’t be president, Mitchell worried, “He’s speaking from the perspective of someone who was so demeaned by Donald Trump back in 2008.”
Showing considerable empathy for the President, Mitchell continued, “ Just think of how painful and insulting and diminishing that was for Barack Obama to hear that from Donald Trump at the time.” The journalist was talking to Nicholas Confessore of the New York Times.
Confessore explained why Obama mentioned the businessman: “Truthfully I think the President was speaking from the heart here. I think he was saying exactly what he believes about Trump.”
Mitchell seems to have a habit of complaining about Republicans criticizing Democrats. On February 12, she admitted being appalled by an Office Space parody Ted Cruz created about Hillary Clinton.
A transcript of the exchange is below:
Place for Politics 2016
2/17/16
12:41pm ETANDREA MITCHELL: And I want to ask you about the President's news conference yesterday out in California because he asked Donald Trump and the others and the President was asked, you know, what about Trump? And the way this has been played, he took on Trump and he did. He could have resisted. He could have blown it off. How smart was that for the President to go after Donald Trump who responded immediately?
NICHOLAS CONFESSORE: Well, I think – Look, I've heard so many different theories of this at this point. Was it Obama trying to secretly boost Trump by attacking him, to boost him in the eyes of his supporters to make it a mano–a-mano in a way that would help Trump? But, truthfully, I think the President was speaking from the heart here. I think he was saying exactly what he believes about Trump. I mean, think about it, he is the opposite of the candidate that Obama tried to be, certainly in 2008. He's the antithesis of Barack Obama. I think it's very clear that when he spoke about Trump being unprepared or Trump being bombastic or a divider that he was speaking from his heart.
MITCHELL: And, in fact, he's speaking from the perspective of someone who was so demeaned by Donald Trump back in 2008 with the whole birther movement. Just think of how painful and insulting and diminishing that was for Barack Obama to hear that from Donald Trump at the time.
