Humorist Dave Barry hammered the media on Wednesday's New Day for their "daily obsession with Donald Trump: "We keep asking why he's doing so well — and he's on TV all the time. He's on more than the GEICO gecko." When CNN's Alisyn Camerota defended the press coverage of Trump by using his front-runner status, Barry countered that "you can't deny the incredible impact...at this point, Kim Kardashian also could run for president and would do okay if we gave her the same level of coverage that we give to Donald Trump." [video below]
Camerota first prompted the Miami Herald columnist to give his take on the 2016 presidential race. Barry replied, "I've never seen anything like it. I've been going to presidential campaigns since 1984, and this is, by far, the most entertaining." He gave his "daily obsession" line when co-anchor Chris Cuomo wondered, "What are your favorite angles?"
The guest also referenced the sexual innuendo in the Republican presidential race when he asserted that Trump is "on more than the Geico gecko....which also has very small hands, if you noticed."
Later in the segment, Barry added to his assessment of the 2016 race: "let's be honest: the American public thinks that everybody in politics; everybody in Washington; and everybody in the media — including the three of us — is lying scum — right?...everybody in the establishment hates him [Trump]; doesn't like him; keeps telling him he's bad for us. And so, like, everyone goes — yeah, well, we hate you, so we like him...He can bring out whatever he wants, and people are going to just love it."
The transcript of the relevant portions of the Dave Barry segment from CNN's New Day on March 9, 2016:
ALISYN CAMEROTA: It has been a wild presidential race so far s and a dream for humorists and comedy writers like our next guest: Pulitzer Prize winner and longtime Miami Herald columnist, Dave Barry. He's also the author of a new book, 'Live Right and Find Happiness.' Dave, great to have you here.
DAVE BARRY, PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING COLUMNIST: Thanks for having me.
CAMEROTA: How do you characterize this 2016 race?
[CNN Graphic: "Dave Barry On The 2016 Race"]
BARRY: I've never seen anything like it. I've been going to presidential campaigns since 1984, and this is, by far, the most entertaining. And a lot of people think it's bad for the country, but that's good for me. You know what I mean? (Camerota laughs) The country can do what it — deal with it the way it wants to—
CAMEROTA: Right—
BARRY: It's excellent, as you said, for those of us in the humor business—
CUOMO: What are your favorite angles?
BARRY: Well, I find just the daily obsession with Donald Trump to be — I mean, we keep asking why he's doing so well — and he's on TV all the time. He's on more than the Geico gecko. He's just all the — which also has very small hands, if you noticed. (Camerota laughs)
CUOMO: Oooh!
BARRY: The gecko does, not—
CUOMO: This is a hand-free zone that we have.
BARRY: Okay. No, but he's like — all we — all we see on television, day and night, is Donald Trump — day and night. I mean—
CAMEROTA: Right, but that's the chicken and egg argument. We cover him because he's the frontrunner — and you're saying he's the front-runner because we cover him.
BARRY: I'm — I think it is both, but I think you can't deny that — the incredible impact. I mean, it's like — I think, at this point, Kim Kardashian also could run for president and would do okay if we gave her the same level of coverage that we give to Donald Trump—
CAMEROTA: All right. Well, we have more—
BARRY: All we talk about is Donald Trump. We're talking about him right now.
(...)
BARRY: You know, really, part of it is — let's be honest: the American public thinks that everybody in politics; everybody in Washington; and everybody in the media — including the three of us — is lying scum — right? I mean, that's kind of where they are now for various reasons—
CUOMO: She's more the lying; I'm more the scum. We try to divide it—
BARRY: But let's own up to that's how we are viewed—
CAMEROTA: Sure—
BARRY: You know? So I think — you know, in part, it's because he's on television all the time. But it's, in part, just because everybody in the establishment hates him; doesn't like him; keeps telling him he's bad for us. And so, like, everyone goes — yeah, well, we hate you, so we like him and — and he can bring out his steaks. He can bring out whatever he wants, and people are going to just love it.
