Sometimes, it’s not difficult to confuse Chris Matthews. The liberal MSNBC host on Tuesday night was beside himself as video showed Donald Trump practicing his speech to Congress while waiting in a car to leave the White House. Matthews marveled, “He's lipping it! He's doing it! Look at that.”
As though a president doing last second prep was astonishing, the Hardball host continued, "I have never seen this before! A president on the way to giving his — well almost State of the Union and practicing it on television.” Matthews condescended to Trump and assumed, “Look at that. He has no idea he's on television.”
Doing a bit of mind reading, Matthews translated what Trump was thinking: “Look at this. ‘You dirty dog! You let them take my picture!’ Look at this!” Fellow MSNBC guest Brian Williams parroted his colleague:
No idea he's on television. I mean, they just haven't been around the machinery of media, the mechanics of the south lawn, that kind of thing, long enough to know that this kind of thing is always televised and we're under way.
It was Rachel Maddow, of all people, who didn’t see the big deal: “Well, reading it out loud to the other people in the car? I mean— We don't know.”
A transcript of the exchange:
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MSNBC live coverage
2/28/17
8:34[Trump gets in car at White House to go to State of the Union.]
BRIAN WILLIAMS: The giant bullet-proof sedan. And as soon as the cameraman for the television pool can zoom into the man lit by the dome light back reading through, presumably reading through his speech —
NICOLLE WALLACE: Or his Twitter feed.
MATTHEWS: There we go.
WILLIAMS: Come on, we can do it, all the way in there. Here we go, here we go.
MATTHEWS: This is a great shot.
RACHEL MADDOW: Screen or paper? Looks like paper.
[Matthews amazed as Trump reads speech.]
MATTHEWS: He's lipping it! He's doing it! Look at that.
MADDOW: Well, practicing.
MATTHEWS: Yeah, but he’s actually voicing it!
WILLIAMS: We can read lips we can get the whole speech previewed right now. [Laughter.]
MATTHEWS: This is great! I have never seen this before! A president on the way to giving his — well almost State of the Union and actually practicing it on television.
MADDOW: Well, reading it out loud to the other people in the car? I mean— We don't know.
MATTHEWS: [Just amazed.]: Look at that. He has no idea he's on television.
WILLIAMS: No idea he's on television. I mean, they just haven't been around the machinery of media, the mechanics of the south lawn, that kind of thing, long enough to know that this kind of thing is always televised. [Car starts to move.] And we're under way.
MATTHEWS: Look at this. “You dirty dog, you let them take my picture!” Look at this!
