On Friday's NBC Nightly News, Andrea Mitchell touted how Donald Trump's repeated shots at the ethnic background of a federal judge "reinvigorated" Hillary Clinton's presidential bid. Mitchell hyped how "her campaign thinks she has finally cracked the code on how to make the attacks on Trump stick, after that takedown...billed as a foreign policy speech — at times, sounding more like a roast." The liberal journalist also turned to Mark Halperin, who claimed that "Clinton's strong performance...is going to give a lot of Democrats confidence that she — not Sanders — would be the strongest candidate against Trump." [video below]
Anchor Lester Holt introduced his network's coverage of the controversy by spotlighting how "Donald Trump [is] refusing to back down, after attacking the ethnicity of the judge overseeing fraud lawsuits against his now-defunct Trump University; and Hillary Clinton now seizing on that controversy, after her most scathing attack on Trump yet." Correspondent Peter Alexander filed a report on the Trump side of the campaign issue. He played up that "legal scholars say Trump's attack on a federal judge overseeing a candidate's case is unprecedented."
Alexander later underlined that "Trump's harsh rhetoric [has been] offending Latinos since the day he announced his candidacy." He also emphasized that "Trump needs to attract Latino voters to win. Right now, seven in ten have a negative view of him; and a record 27 million Latinos will be eligible to vote this fall....The billionaire badly needing to close a wide gap with minority voters."
Mitchell's report immediately followed Alexander's. She first noted that "Donald Trump's controversial remarks about that federal judge are more fodder for Hillary Clinton." She soon followed with her "reinvigorated" term about Mrs. Clinton. The NBC journalist also included a clip of Michelle Obama going after the billionaire:
ANDREA MITCHELL: ...Democrats tonight [are] trying to build on that momentum — even First Lady Michelle Obama sounding off against Trump.
MICHELLE OBAMA: Here in America, we don't give in to our fears. We don't build up walls to keep people out.
The correspondent later asserted that "Clinton's new attack lines are not just impacting Trump, but also Bernie Sanders." After playing a soundbite from a Sanders campaign shop, she wondered, "Is Sanders now overshadowed by the Clinton-Trump match-up?" She let Halperin answer that question with his "Clinton's strong performance" remark.
The full transcripts of Peter Alexander and Andrea Mitchell's reports, which aired back-to-back on the June 3, 2016 edition of NBC Nightly News:
LESTER HOLT: Let's turn now to the 2016 race for president — Donald Trump refusing to back down, after attacking the ethnicity of the judge overseeing fraud lawsuits against his now-defunct Trump University; and Hillary Clinton now seizing on that controversy, after her most scathing attack on Trump yet.
We've got it all covered starting with NBC's Peter Alexander.
[NBC News Graphic: "Trump Bashes Judge; Trump Targets Judge's Ethnicity"]
PETER ALEXANDER (voice-over): Donald Trump doubling down — attacking California federal judge Gonzalo Curiel, who's overseeing the lawsuits against Trump University — Trump telling CNN tonight the judge can't be fair because of his ethnicity.
DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (from CNN interview): He's a Mexican. We're building a wall between here and Mexico. The answer is, he is giving us very unfair rulings. Now, I say why: well, I want to — I'm building a wall, okay? And it's a wall between Mexico (sic) — not another country—
JAKE TAPPER: But he's not — he's not from Mexico—
TRUMP: In my opinion—
TAPPER: He's from Indiana!
TRUMP: He — his Mexican — Mexican heritage.
ALEXANDER: Curiel was born in Indiana, and spent years prosecuting Mexican drug cartels — here with NBC News in 2000.
GONZALO CURIEL (from September 20, 2000 interview): They've been stronger and more violent and more blood-thirsty.
ALEXANDER: Today, Curiel's barred by ethics rules from publicly defending himself.
ALEXANDER (on-camera): Legal scholars say Trump's attack on a federal judge overseeing a candidate's case is unprecedented.
ROBERT MALDONADO, HISPANIC NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION: Donald Trump's language shows his disdain for the Hispanic population; and it shows the bigotry and bias that he's infused in his presidential campaign.
ALEXANDER (voice-over): Trump's combativeness upsetting Paul Ryan, just hours after the House Speaker said he'd vote for him.
PAUL RYAN, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE (from interview on News/Talk 1130 WISN): The comment about the judge the other day just was out of left field, from my mind. I completely disagree with the thinking behind that.
ALEXANDER: Trump's harsh rhetoric offending Latinos since the day he announced his candidacy.
TRUMP: They're bringing crime. They're rapists—
ALEXANDER: Sparking immigration protests and outrage.
Trump needs to attract Latino voters to win. Right now, seven in ten have a negative view of him; and a record 27 million Latinos will be eligible to vote this fall.
Late today, Trump pointing out a supporter in the crowd.
[NBC News Graphic: "Needs Latino Voters To Win; 71% Negative View; NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll, May 15-19, 2016: MOE +/- 9.8%; 27.3 Million Latinos Eligible To Vote; Source: Pew Research"]
TRUMP: Look at my African-American over here. Look at him!
ALEXANDER: The billionaire badly needing to close a wide gap with minority voters. Peter Alexander, NBC News, Washington.
ANDREA MITCHELL (voice-over): This is Andrea Mitchell in California, where Donald Trump's controversial remarks about that federal judge are more fodder for Hillary Clinton.
[NBC News Graphic: "Clinton Unleashes New Trump Strategy"]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER (on-camera): What do you think about the way Trump went after the judge in his—
HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's terrible. I think it's outrageous.
MITCHELL (voice-over): Clinton tonight reinvigorated in going after Trump.
CLINTON (from campaign event): He is temperamentally unfit to be president. (audience cheers and applauds)
MITCHELL: Her campaign thinks she has finally cracked the code on how to make the attacks on Trump stick, after that takedown yesterday billed as a foreign policy speech — at times, sounding more like a roast.
CLINTON: He says he has foreign policy experience because he ran the Miss Universe pageant in Russia. (audience laughs)
MITCHELL: And Democrats tonight trying to build on that momentum — even First Lady Michelle Obama sounding off against Trump.
MICHELLE OBAMA: Here in America, we don't give in to our fears. We don't build up walls to keep people out.
MITCHELL: Trump not backing down from Clinton.
DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (from campaign event): I could just say — you know, slough it off and say, oh, I have a wonderful temperament. I'm really a wonderful person. Look, let me tell you: I have a tough temperament. But we need a tough temperament.
MITCHELL: But Clinton's new attack lines are not just impacting Trump, but also Bernie Sanders — hoping to pull off an upset in Tuesday's California primary.
BERNIE SANDERS, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (from campaign event): If there's a large voter turnout on Tuesday, we're going to win California— (audience cheers and applauds)
MITCHELL: So, is Sanders now overshadowed by the Clinton-Trump match-up?
MARK HALPERIN, BLOOMBERG POLITICS MANAGING EDITOR: Clinton's strong performance, I think, is going to give a lot of Democrats confidence that she — not Sanders — would be the strongest candidate against Trump in a general election.
MITCHELL (on-camera): Clinton said tonight that after Tuesday, she hopes she will have the great honor to be the Democratic nominee, and will do everything to try to unify the party; and she expects Senator Sanders to do the same. Lester?
HOLT: Andrea Mitchell here in the Los Angeles area tonight — Andrea, thank you.
