Appearing on Tuesday’s NBC Today, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd touted Hillary Clinton’s supposed best defense against attacks from Donald Trump in a general election: “I do think it raises the importance of Barack Obama as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton. I think you’re going to see over the summer that when she's looking for a character witness, she's not going to turn to Bill, she’s going to turn to Barack.”
Co-host Savannah Guthrie worried over the Republican candidate’s anti-Clinton campaign strategy: “Donald Trump has told reporters now he plans to confront Clinton on these debate stages on things such as her reaction to her husband's infidelities, the e-mail scandal, Benghazi. Is there any potential downside for him?”
Todd responded: “Look, there is. I mean, but this is what worked for him during the primary....character is her weak spot. So that's her vulnerabilities. And we know the way Trump works, he looks for a vulnerability and then tries to exploit, exploit, exploit.”
He acknowledged that Trump “may succeed in, say, taking Bill Clinton and sidelining him a bit” but predicted that Obama would come to the rescue of his former secretary of state.
In a report prior to the discussion with Todd, correspondent Kristen Welker promoted team Clinton “bracing for what Donald Trump has promised will be an onslaught of attacks” as “a pro-Clinton super-PAC is set to release $6.5 million in ads, hitting Trump in key battleground states starting Wednesday.”
Like Guthrie, Welker fretted: “Now, Trump is previewing his strategy. Top aides telling NBC News he plans to confront Clinton on character issues, her e-mail controversy, and her response to her husband's infidelities.”
Here is a full transcript of Todd’s May 17 analysis:
7:08 AM ET
MATT LAUER: Let's bring in Chuck Todd. Chuck, good morning, good to see you.
CHUCK TODD: Good morning, Matt.
LAUER: Let's talk about Hillary Clinton's idea. She says if she's elected president, she'll bring in her husband, the former president, to revitalize the economy. It's that two for one deal that we've talked about in the past. When it comes to voters, is there an upside to this and a downside?
TODD: I don't know what the upside is. I mean, I think for some, they still see that – they have positive memories of the '90s. But think about what this campaign’s been about the last six months, Matt. In many ways, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, in particular, have been running against the '90s on economic policy, those trade deals, NAFTA being the biggest one, including Wall Street deregulation, a major portion of that happened during the Clinton years. So I think it’s a double-edged sword.
Now, for what it’s worth, in talking with people close to the Clinton campaign, she didn't mean she was going to hand off half the presidency to him and say, “You’ve the economy.” Apparently, she was trying to say he was going to be focusing on distressed communities. So in Kentucky, that's coal country. Places where there have been a lot of distressed unemployment.
GUTHRIE: And let's talk about the Clinton campaign as well [sic]. Donald Trump has told reporters now he plans to confront Clinton on these debate stages on things such as her reaction to her husband's infidelities, the e-mail scandal, Benghazi. Is there any potential downside for him?
TODD: Look, there is. I mean, but this is what worked for him during the primary. So I don't see why he would go any other way on this front. And if you look, when you're going after her, character is her weak spot. So that's her vulnerabilities. And we know the way Trump works, he looks for a vulnerability and then tries to exploit, exploit, exploit. But look, I think he may succeed in, say, taking Bill Clinton and sidelining him a bit, but I do think it raises the importance of Barack Obama as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton. I think you’re going to see over the summer that when she's looking for a character witness, she's not going to turn to Bill, she’s going to turn to Barack.
LAUER: Let's continue with Hillary for a second. Although the numbers are clearly in her favor, she's still locked in a primary battle with Bernie Sanders. And yet, she's starting to look and vet possible vice presidential running mates. A couple names have come up and I just want your take quickly on each. Sherrod Brown, the senator from Ohio. Tim Kaine, senator from Virginia. Are they the frontrunners?
TODD: I think they are the frontrunners. They’re from the two most important states. You lock one of those down, the Republican path isn't there. And they're do-no-harm candidates. They're both – they’re very disciplined, they’re very good. And they – and from what I understand, Hillary Clinton’s looking for a governing partner, not just somebody that will help her on the ticket. And both have a lot of experience. Sherrod Brown can help with the Bernie Sanders and Tim Kaine being a former governor.
GUTHRIE: A couple others getting a close look, former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, you’ve also got Senator Corey Booker. Real quickly, Chuck.
TODD: Corey Booker is somebody Hillary Clinton has become very comfortable with, she really likes him. Deval Patrick, somebody she doesn't know as well, but close to Obama world. So don’t be surprised if he gets a look.
LAUER: You’re not done.
TODD: Yes, sir.
LAUER: Elizabeth Warren, Julian Castro, what about those two?
TODD: I think those get a lot of attention in social media, a lot of attention in the grassroots. I'll be shocked if either one of them is among the final two or three.
LAUER: Alright, Chuck, thank you very much.
