After largely ignoring Donald Trump’s liberal past throughout the presidential campaign, on Friday, with Trump poised to become the Republican Party’s 2016 nominee, NBC’s Today finally noticed “the once friendly relationship between the Trumps and the Clintons.”
Co-host Savannah Guthrie teased the segment: “Plus, the Clintons and the Trumps, from friends to political enemies. How the race for the White House has turned a once cozy relationship into an all-out battle.” Introducing the story minutes later, she declared: “Well, when politics becomes a part of the conversation, sometimes friends can become enemies....that seems to be the case between two very famous families in this presidential election season.”
In the report that followed, correspondent Andrea Mitchell detailed the long-term family friendship:
It wasn't always like this....In the ‘90s, Donald Trump brought his sons to the White House, writing, “The First Lady is a wonderful woman who has handled pressure incredibly well.” Bill Clinton and Trump played golf....And remember this? The Clintons at Mar a Lago for Trump's wedding to Melania....Then there is Ivanka and Chelsea, young mothers and friends on the New York social scene....Trump contributed to Hillary Clinton's past campaigns and to the Clinton Foundation. The former president even met with Trump just before he entered the race.
Soundbites ran of Trump praising the Clintons as recently as 2012 and 2013: “Hillary Clinton, I think, is a terrific woman....They’re members of my club and I like both of them very much.”
Despite NBC’s newfound interest in the presumptive GOP nominee’s past support for the Democratic frontrunner, a Media Research Center study from January found that the three broadcast networks had previously barely covered the connection:
But amid that sea of Trump news, the networks have spent only about nine minutes (1.3% of Trump’s overall coverage) discussing the candidate’s clearly documented past support for liberal policy positions (i.e., pro-abortion, single-payer health care) and his praise of leading Democrats, including Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. MRC’s analysis of network evening news coverage finds Trump’s past liberalism fails to crack the Top 10 in terms of airtime, ranking #11 on the list of most-covered controversies.
Here is a full transcript of Mitchell’s May 6 report:
7:21 AM ET TEASE:
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Plus, the Clintons and the Trumps, from friends to political enemies. How the race for the White House has turned a once cozy relationship into an all-out battle.
7:34 AM ET SEGMENT:
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Well, when politics becomes a part of the conversation, sometimes friends can become enemies, we know that, depending on their views. And that seems to be the case between two very famous families in this presidential election season. NBC's Andrea Mitchell has more now on the once friendly relationship between the Trumps and the Clintons and how that might change. Andrea, good morning.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINES: Candidates’ Strange Political Connections; Clinton & Trump to Face Off After Decades of Friendship]
ANDREA MITCHELL: Indeed, Savannah. They are two prominent and politically ambitious New Yorkers. Bold-faced names now pitted against each other in what is shaping up as a brutal campaign for the White House.
DONALD TRUMP: We cannot take Hillary Clinton anymore. We cannot – we've had enough of Clinton.
HILLARY CLINTON: We can't have a loose cannon in the Oval Office.
MITCHELL: It wasn't always like this.
TRUMP [FOX NEWS/MARCH 28, 2012]: Hillary Clinton, I think, is a terrific woman.
MITCHELL: In the ‘90s, Donald Trump brought his sons to the White House, writing, “The First Lady is a wonderful woman who has handled pressure incredibly well.” Bill Clinton and Trump played golf.
TRUMP [POLITICKING WITH LARRY KING/OCTOBER 4, 2013]: They’re members of my club and I like both of them very much.
MITCHELL: And remember this? The Clintons at Mar a Lago for Trump's wedding to Melania.
TRUMP [FOX NEWS DEBATE/AUGUST 6, 2015]: I said be at my wedding and she came to my wedding.
CLINTON: I thought it'd be fun to go to his wedding because it's always entertaining.
MITCHELL: Then there is Ivanka and Chelsea, young mothers and friends on the New York social scene.
IVANKA TRUMP [CNN/APRIL 12, 2016]: We're children and we love our parents. So that's the great equalizer and that’s the great common ground.
MITCHELL: Trump contributed to Hillary Clinton's past campaigns and to the Clinton Foundation. The former president even met with Trump just before he entered the race.
STEPHEN COLBERT [THE LATE SHOW/OCTOBER 6, 2015]: Did you call Donald Trump and ask him to run for President of the United States?
BILL CLINTON: No. No.
COLBERT: No? Because that would be pretty smart, man.
CLINTON: Yeah, I get credit for doing a lot of things I didn't do, like that. I had a very pleasant conversation with him, and it wasn't about running for office. So I missed the chance.
[LAUGHTER]
MITCHELL: Now adversaries set to meet next on the debate stage, if not sooner.
JIMMY FALLON [AS TRUMP, THE TONIGHT SHOW/SEPTEMBER 16, 2015]: How are you, Hillary? I haven't seen you since my last wedding.
HILLARY CLINTON: Well, I'm sure I'll see you at the next one.
MITCHELL: In fact, Clinton acknowledged, when asked, that she had never sent the Trumps a wedding gift. Perhaps that's when this wonderful friendship just fell apart. Willie and Savannah?
GUTHRIE: Well, that's one theory, Andrea. Thank you very much.
