On Tuesday, NBC’s Today eagerly touted the latest nasty attack ad from Hillary Clinton’s campaign, with correspondent Hallie Jackson proclaiming: “With just seven days to go, Hillary Clinton’s trying to hammer home her argument that Donald Trump is simply too dangerous to be commander-in-chief by referencing one of the most famous and scariest political ads ever.”
Rather than criticize the Democratic nominee for the negative tone or lack of civility, Jackson used puns to promote the smear: “An already explosive campaign now going nuclear, in a matter of speaking....The Clinton team turning to this black and white ad from the height of the cold war....A mushrooming attack that’s now part of a new on-air war.”
The ad in question was the infamous 1964 TV spot that Lyndon Johnson used against GOP nominee Barry Goldwater, arguing that the late Arizona senator would start a nuclear war if elected.
Amid clips of the original Johnson ad, Jackson explained: “Clinton playing off perhaps the most famous presidential ad of all time. It starred Monique Corzilius Luiz, then just three years old.” A clip followed of a Clinton campaign video featuring a grown-up Luiz warning viewers: “This is me in 1964. The fear of nuclear war that we had as children, I never thought our children would ever have to deal with that again.”
Jackson concluded: “Now, in the final week of the campaign, Clinton’s trying to capitalize on the concerns some have about Trump in the Oval Office, reinforcing her message on TV, on stage this week.”
NBC was alone in providing free air time for the anti-Trump barrage, neither ABC’s Good Morning America nor CBS This Morning touched the topic.
Here is a full transcript of the November 1 report:
7:32 AM ET
MATT LAUER: In the meantime, the Clinton campaign is out with a new ad in the last week of the race and it’s raising some eyebrows. NBC’s Hallie Jackson has more on that. Hallie, good morning to you.
HALLIE JACKSON: Hi there, Matt, good morning. With just seven days to go, Hillary Clinton’s trying to hammer home her argument that Donald Trump is simply too dangerous to be commander-in-chief by referencing one of the most famous and scariest political ads ever. An ad the Trump campaign is brushing off as just a distraction from, they say, Clinton’s own controversies.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Trump & Clinton Go Nuclear; “Daisy Girl” Ad Resurrected in New Campaign Battle]
An already explosive campaign now going nuclear, in a matter of speaking.
DONALD TRUMP: Bomb the s*** out of them.
JACKSON: The Clinton team turning to this black and white ad from the height of the cold war.
1964 JOHNSON CAMPAIGN AD: These are the stakes.
JACKSON: A mushrooming attack that’s now part of a new on-air war. Clinton playing off perhaps the most famous presidential ad of all time. It starred Monique Corzilius Luiz, then just three years old.
MONIQUE CORZILIUS LUIZ: This is me in 1964. The fear of nuclear war that we had as children, I never thought our children would ever have to deal with that again.
JACKSON: Now, in the final week of the campaign, Clinton’s trying to capitalize on the concerns some have about Trump in the Oval Office, reinforcing her message on TV, on stage this week.
CLINTON: Even the prospect of an actual nuclear war doesn't seem to bother Donald Trump. “Good luck, enjoy yourselves, folks,” was what he had to say about a potential nuclear conflict.
JACKSON: Here's what Donald Trump actually said to CNN in March about more U.S. allies getting nuclear weapons.
TRUMP: We're better off, frankly, if South Korea is going to start to protect itself.
ANDERSON COOPER: Saudi Arabia, nuclear weapons.
TRUMP: Saudi Arabia, absolutely.
JACKSON: And with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews.
TRUMP: I would never take any of my cards off the table.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: How about Europe? We won’t use it in Europe?
TRUMP: I’m not going to take it off the table.
JACKSON: But a month later, Trump told Matt and Savannah here on Today.
TRUMP: I will be the last to use nuclear weapons. It's a horror to use nuclear weapons.
JACKSON: The Trump campaign calling Clinton's new ad a “sad and pathetic attempt to change the subject away from the criminal investigation into her illegal e-mail server.” Some Trump supporters insisting it's Clinton who’s actually more dangerous, more irresponsible. Like Mark Kreneal, who remembers the original LBJ ad.
MARK KRENEAL: That's a very powerful thing.
JACKSON: Do you think this is equally as powerful for Hillary Clinton?
KRENEAL: I think it's just another one of her tricks.
JACKSON: So what do the numbers show? Our latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows more people believe Clinton would be a better commander-in-chief than trump, 52% to 32%. Although we should note that, that poll was taken before Friday's FBI e-mail news. Matt, Savannah?
LAUER: Alright, Hallie Jackson, thank you.
