On Monday's AC360, CNN's Anderson Cooper and his guests likened Donald Trump to Richard Nixon. David Gergen decried the billionaire revoking The Washington Post's press credentials: "That's extraordinary! Why would he do something so stupid?" Cooper replied, "He's assembling an enemies list, like presidents have in the past." Gloria Borger interjected, "Most presidents, like Richard Nixon, keep it private....Donald Trump publicizes it; and says, this is my list." [video below]
Moments earlier, Gergen lamented Trump's rhetoric in the wake of the terrorist attack in Orlando, especially directed towards President Obama's response to the mass shooting: "It's very dark, and it's very conspiratorial, and it does not — it's not — it's not fitting for this particular moment."
Despite agreeing with Cooper and Borger's "enemies list" theory about Trump, Gergen later credited Trump for being "out there against Republican orthodoxy supporting transgender people on these questions of bathrooms and everything like that."
The transcript of the relevant portion of the David Gergen/Gloria Borger segment from CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 on June 13, 2016:
DAVID GERGEN: I have to tell you — you know, for him to let the day — to get a bad headline now — the Washington Post — and then, to yank the credentials of the Washington Post from covering your campaign?
ANDERSON COOPER: Right; yeah—
GERGEN: That's — that's extraordinary! Why would he do something so stupid? I mean, it just doesn't make any sense.
COOPER: Well, I mean, he's assembling an enemies list—
GERGEN: Yeah — absolutely!
GLORIA BORGER: Publicly!
COOPER: He's assembling an enemies list, like presidents have in the past. I mean—
BORGER: You know — you know, Anderson, though: most presidents, like Richard Nixon—
COOPER: It's also interesting, Gloria — I got to — but I—
BORGER: Keep it private—
COOPER: Right—
BORGER: I mean — you know, Donald Trump publicizes it; and says, this is my list.
