On Friday’s NBC Today, political analyst Nicolle Wallace seemed surprised that Trump voters had not yet abandoned their support of the President. After talking to some of his backers in Erie County, Pennsylvania, Wallace proclaimed: “If you're looking for buyers' remorse, you won't find it here.”
Sitting down with Judy Phelps, a Democrat who voted for Barack Obama twice before casting a ballot for Trump in November, Wallace fretted over the commander-in-chief’s executive action temporarily suspending immigration from seven Middle Eastern nations: “Do you think we should be banning people from countries that haven't launched any attacks against the United States?” Phelps replied: “I think that they ought to stop everybody from coming in, just let the country breathe and take a step back and figure out what's going on.”
Wallace began to lecture her: “You don't think that's un-American? I mean, the Statue of Liberty says – ” Phelps cut her off: “No. No, because I don't want to have someone coming in and moving next door to me who’s going to be blowing up Erie. He is sticking to what he said he was going to do, come Hell or high water. And I say go for it.”
Earlier in the report, a clip ran of Wallace speaking to callers on a local radio show about the same topic. One man asked: “It's a temporary ban until they can get a better vetting system. What's the number of refugees we're willing to take?” Again, Wallace tried to dismiss the concern: “We take fewer than just about any other European country.” The caller pushed back: “That isn't what I asked you. I ain’t asking if we’re taking more or fewer, I’m asking, is there a number that at some point we say enough?”
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To another listener, Wallace pressed: “I'm curious how long people are gonna give him [Trump].” He responded: “I’d give him eight years. We gave the last guy eight years. Business as usual in Washington, it has to be shaken up because it is just a mess.”
At the start of her conversation with Phelps, Wallace fished for criticism of Trump: “Is there anything that he's done so far as president that you're not thrilled about? Do you ever look at the TV and say, ‘Oh, God’?” Phelps acknowledged: “Yeah, I have.” Wallace touted: “Judy says the first time she cringed was on Inauguration Day.” Phelps explained: “He said negative things about people high up in government, you know? I mean, it seems like he already said that, he doesn’t need to say that again.”
After the taped portion of the segment, co-host Matt Lauer observed: “So it seems like the headline here is, they want the change that Donald Trump promised during the campaign, they’d like him to back off on the rhetoric he used to talk about that change.” Wallace agreed: “...they recognize the deficiencies in the way he's rolling out he’s policies, but they are behind the agenda 100%.” Co-host Maria Shriver chimed in: “They also recognize the deficiencies in his tone, right?” Lauer asserted: “Yeah, no question.”
Here is a full transcript of the February 10 report:
8:17 AM ET
MARIA SHRIVER: Well, this morning, we are revisiting our special series, "In Trump They Trust."
MATT LAUER: Leading up to President Trump’s inauguration, Nicolle Wallace traveled all around the country and talked to voters who helped to elect him. One of her stops was Pennsylvania, and Nicolle recently went back. Hi, Nicolle, good morning.
NICOLLE WALLACE: That’s right, I was back in Erie. And Mr. Trump was the first Republican to win Erie County since Ronald Reagan. So how are people there feeling now, three weeks into the new administration?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: “In Trump They Trust”; Supporters Remain Loyal to Unconventional POTUS]
UNIDENTIFIED MAN [RADIO ANNOUNCER]: And good morning, you're on JET Radio 1400 with Nicolle Wallace from NBC News.
WALLACE: If you're looking for buyers' remorse, you won't find it here.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN [CALLER]: I’ve been a Democrat for 50 years.
WALLACE: In Erie County, where thousands of Democrats crossed over to vote for Donald Trump.
WOMAN: We wanted change.
WALLACE: How do you think he's doing?
WOMAN: Even though he’s brash, I call him like an Archie Bunker. Guess what? Didn't we all love Archie Bunker because of his heart?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN B [CALLER]: It's a temporary ban until they can get a better vetting system. What's the number of refugees we're willing to take?
WALLACE: We take fewer than just about any other European country.
MAN B: That isn't what I asked you. I ain’t asking if we’re taking more or fewer, I’m asking, is there a number that at some point we say enough?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN C [CALLER]: The politicians are living in a bubble. A lot of the media lives in a bubble.
WALLACE: I'm curious how long people are gonna give him.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN D [CALLER]: I’d give him eight years. We gave the last guy eight years. Business as usual in Washington, it has to be shaken up because it is just a mess.
WALLACE: Over at the Lawrence Park Diner, we met up with voters we first talked to before the Inauguration.
JUDY PHELPS: I knew that there was going to be a lot of controversy. How can you not expect that?
WALLACE: Judy Phelps voted for Barack Obama twice before flipping for Donald Trump. You had very good advice for Donald Trump. Do you remember what you said?
PHELPS [JANUARY 9]: Filter what you say and just know when to back off a little bit.
WALLACE: Is there anything that he's done so far as president that you're not thrilled about? Do you ever look at the TV and say, “Oh, God”?
PHELPS: Yeah, I have.
WALLACE: Judy says the first time she cringed was on Inauguration Day.
PHELPS: He said negative things about people high up in government, you know? I mean, it seems like he already said that, he doesn’t need to say that again.
WALLACE: And they were standing right behind him.
PHELPS: Yeah, yeah. I mean, what's the benefit of doing that? People already know how he feels. But, that's Trump, I guess.
DAVE LOCKE: He needs to realize that he is our president. He won. We chose him.
WALLACE: Dave Locke told us last month how getting laid off from his job led him to choose Trump after voting for President Obama twice.
LOCKE [JANUARY 9]: There's a lot riding on this, you know, for me and my family.
WALLACE: We invited Dave to Washington to attend President Trump's inauguration.
DONALD TRUMP: Their victories have not been your victories.
LOCKE: I loved his inauguration speech. I thought it was fantastic. But it would have been perfect had he left out the jabs and the shots, you know? That fight’s over. There’s no need for it, you’ve won.
This is all abandoned.
WALLACE: This is what Dave is worried about, the empty factories and businesses in Erie.
LOCKE: All these places used to be places for people to work.
WALLACE: He talked about America in carnage in that speech, and it really struck a lot of people as very dramatic language. Do you think Erie is a place where you've seen American carnage?
LOCKE: Erie used to be a huge, industrial town, and it's all been kind of laid to waste. I guess “carnage” could be a good word to describe it.
You know, I would like to see at the 100-day mark that ground has been broken on this new plant or they’ve started looking at hiring.
WALLACE: What kind of marks do you give him?
LOCKE: Low points are usually his mouth or the way he proceeds to do things, like with the ban.
WALLACE: The travel ban?
LOCKE: The travel ban, yeah. That could have been a lot better. He's just so used to being so bold and aggressive with everything. You know, he gets that from his way of life in business. But now, it's more than just his business, it's the country's business.
PHELPS: I'm not sure that he knows how people react to some of the things he says. I think that he needs a dose of diplomacy.
WALLACE: Do you think we should be banning people from countries that haven't launched any attacks against the United States?
PHELPS: I think that they ought to stop everybody from coming in, just let the country breathe and take a step back and figure out what's going on.
WALLACE: You don't think that's un-American? I mean, the Statue of Liberty says –
PHELPS: No. No, because I don't want to have someone coming in and moving next door to me who’s going to be blowing up Erie. He is sticking to what he said he was going to do, come Hell or high water. And I say go for it.
LAUER: So it seems like the headline here is, they want the change that Donald Trump promised during the campaign, they’d like him to back off on the rhetoric he used to talk about that change.
WALLACE: Right. I think what's so hard for his detractors to sort of focus on is that his policies are still popular with his supporters. It's the way he's going about getting them done that has tripped him up. And, obviously, I was out before the decision last night to stay the ban. But they recognize the deficiencies in the way he's rolling out he’s policies, but they are behind the agenda 100%.
LAUER: Alright, Nicolle –
SHRIVER: They also recognize the deficiencies in his tone, right?
LAUER: Yeah, no question. Nicolle, thanks, that was fascinating.
