Carl Bernstein unleashed on Donald Trump on Friday's New Day on CNN, attacking the billionaire presidential candidate as a "neo-fascist...sociopath." Bernstein used his "neo-fascist" label two more times during the segment, and predicted that Trump is "setting himself up as the head...of a real neo-fascist movement and media empire with the people from Breitbart....It's a dangerous thing. We're in a dangerous place." [video below]
Anchor Alisyn Camerota and fill-in anchor John Berman turned to the former Washington Post journalist and Bill Kristol of The Weekly Standard for their reaction to Trump and Hillary Clinton appearing at the Al Smith Dinner in New York City on Thursday. Kristol first contended, in part, that "Hillary Clinton wasn't very good. She's not great at being witty, and doesn't have that much of a self-deprecating gene...but Trump was awful. I mean, Trump really doesn't even understand the idea, I think, of self-deprecating humor."
Bernstein replied that Trump is "incapable" of such humor, and continued by underlining that "it goes back to who this person is. I mean...what is his campaign about? This campaign is now about a neo-fascist — I keep coming back to that — sociopath." He also went on the offensive against the Republican electorate:
CARL BERNSTEIN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: ...[W]hat interests me at this point — because it seems apparent he's going to lose, barring some really big surprise — is how and why eighty, ninty percent of people who call themselves Republicans can continue to support this man and this movement, no matter how much they hate Hillary Clinton. It does not speak well for the Republican Party and those who call themselves Republicans.
Later in the segment, Camerota raised how WikiLeaks promised a document dump about Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine and Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile, who was recently at the center of a media collusion controversy: "They are threatening that there will be new things that will be disqualifying for Hillary Clinton." Bernstein brushed this aside, and went back to attacking Trump. He also made his prediction about the presidential nominee becoming the "head...of a real neo-fascist movement."
This isn't the first time that the CNN political commentator has used this label for Trump. Back in June 2016, Bernstein asserted that the billionaire is "deliberately putting out a racist, bigoted, nativist appeal, as well as a neo-fascist appeal, but it applies and it appeals to more than just racists and bigots."
The transcript of the relevant portions of the Kristol/Bernstein segment on CNN's New Day on October 21, 2016:
ALISYN CAMEROTA: Bill, what did you make of what we saw last night?
WILLIAM KRISTOL, EDITOR, THE WEEKLY STANDARD: So this is an annual dinner that raises money for Catholic Charities, as you discussed earlier, with Al Smith V. That's fantastic — that there's, like, endless generations of Al Smiths. (laughs) Anyway, it was — it was very nice to meet him, but — and you're supposed to have self-deprecating humor. And I went back and looked for five minutes this morning at McCain and Obama in 2008; and Romney and Obama in 2008 — 2012 — and they were excellent.
And Hillary Clinton wasn't very good. She's not great at being witty, and doesn't have that much of a self-deprecating gene. So, she was not so good — but Trump was awful. I mean, Trump really doesn't even understand the idea, I think, of self-deprecating humor.
CAMEROTA: He doesn't like to poke fun at himself.
KRISTOL: You think? (laughs)
CAMEROTA: Yeah—
CARL BERNSTEIN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: He's — he's incapable of it; and, in fact, it goes back to who this person is. I mean, let's — what is his campaign about? This campaign is now about a neo-fascist — I keep coming back to that — sociopath. That's where we are, and what — what interests me at this point — because it seems apparent he's going to lose, barring some really big surprise — is how and why eighty, ninty percent of people who call themselves Republicans can continue to support this man and this movement, no matter how much they hate Hillary Clinton. It does not speak well for the Republican Party and those who call themselves Republicans.
(...)
CAMEORTA: I mean, Carl, you said that it looks like he's not going to win. Eighteen days is a long time; and in this election cycle, it's an eternity. Anything can happen in 18 days. And, in fact, there is a little tease coming from WikiLeaks that suggests that there will be even more of an October surprise. Let me read it to you. They say, 'We have a surprise in store for Tim Kaine and Donna Brazile.' They are threatening that there will be new things that will be disqualifying for Hillary Clinton.
BERNSTEIN: Again, it's — it's about surrogates. It would have to be something really amazing about Hillary Clinton for it to be determinative in an election.
I think the most interesting thing going on right now is Trump saying that he may not — you know, go along with the — with the results of this election. What does it really mean? It means, I think, that he is setting himself up as the head of — again, I'm going to go back to that neo-fascist term — of a real neo-fascist movement and media empire with the people from Breitbart. His businesses are going into the tank as a result of where he has come out in this — this election. And — and there's talks going on — I think we know about that — about a media empire. And is there going to be remnants of a neo-fascist movement that he leads in this country after this election? It's a dangerous thing. We're in a dangerous place.
