The “big three” networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC all broke in early Thursday afternoon to cover the conclusion of the monumental White House meeting between President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump but it was ABC that found it worthwhile to play on-screen for viewers inflammatory images of far-left, anti-Trump protests holding a Trump pinata on a noose.
Right before video emerged of Obama and Trump in the Oval Office, chief anchor and Clinton Foundation donor George Stephanopoulos boasted of “protests overnight in several America cities, thousands of protesters out in the streets, hundreds were arrested, protesting Donald Trump, including right here at the Trump Tower in Manhattan” that was accompanied by video of the fake Trump wearing a noose.
Stephanopoulos greeted viewers and explained “[w]e’re coming on the air right now because President Obama has just met with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office” after Trump “[flew] down from New York earlier today.”
It was clear that Stephanopoulos himself was still having a difficult time accepting the results as he nearly stated that Trump “promis[ed] to bring the country together” in a concession speech instead of a victory speech:
We saw Donald Trump fly down from New York earlier today. We have, as promising to bring the country together. We heard that in his concess — in his acceptance speech on Wednesday morning. President Obama, when he spoke yesterday, said we have to be rooting for Donald Trump's success[.]
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The former Clinton administration official then promoted the protests that CBS and NBC decided was less important the actual meeting and peaceful transition of power but moved onto reporting that “[t]he President and President-elect Trump met for about an hour in the Oval Office” while “Melania Trump, in her first visit to the White House, expected to have tea with the First Lady.”
Earlier in the day, Stephanopoulos bluntly raised the possibility on Good Morning America that Trump could be impeached and removed from office for a civil suit he’s currently facing.
The relevant portion of the transcript from the ABC News Special Report of the Obama-Trump meeting on November 10 can be found below.
ABC News Special Report
November 10, 2016
12:45 p.m. Eastern
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Good afternoon. We’re coming on the air right now because President Obama has just met with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office. We saw Donald Trump fly down from New York earlier today. We have, as promising to bring the country together. We heard that in his concess — in his acceptance speech on Wednesday morning. President Obama, when he spoke yesterday, said we have to be rooting for Donald Trump's success, but of course, in the wake of that, protests overnight in several America cities, thousands of protesters out in the streets, hundreds were arrested, protesting Donald Trump, including right here at the Trump Tower in Manhattan. The President and President-elect Trump met for about an hour in the Oval Office. Pool was brought in at the end and Melania Trump, in her first visit to the White House, expected to have tea with the First Lady. Also accompanied by their son-in-law — by Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who’s played a key role in this campaign — a key adviser to the president.
(....)
12:53 p.m. Eastern
STEPHANOPOULOS: Cokie Roberts, cordial words. One of the rituals of democracy.
COKE ROBERTS: Yes, but you know, I think Donald Trump has learned since the election that words really do matter. I mean, we had a dramatic instance of that where after the results were becoming clear, we saw the stock market futures drop by almost 1,000 points. 850 points or so, and then Donald Trump made that very conciliatory acceptance speech and stocks started to go up, and then the — Hillary Clinton and the President made their very conciliatory speeches yesterday, and the market soared and that is something that's very hard for presidents to learn, and that their words really do affect peace and war. They affect markets and Donald Trump is learning that very quickly and is responding to it in a way that I think can make people feel a lot more comfortable.
