An angry Rachel Maddow on Tuesday reacted to Donald Trump’s address to Congress by sneering that the President views immigrants all a bunch of “vicious, murdering criminals.” The liberal MSNBC host’s takeaway was that Donald Trump “spent a big portion of what was, in effect, a State of the Union, trying to tell the country what vicious murdering criminals immigrants are.”
In the speech, the President reported incidents of illegal aliens coming into the United States and committing violent acts. Maddow translated this to be “highlighting immigrants as particularly villainous and violent.” She pronounced, “That's important, an important part of who he is and what he is selling the country.”
Later, Maddow and her colleagues gossiped about the speech:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: He did it just like he’s been watching movies of this.
NICOLLE WALLACE: I thought the same thing! Like, he’s seen this scene in a movie and he knows exactly what you’re supposed to do here.
...
MADDOW: So, what was with the two-handed water drink? That was very unusual.
MATTHEWS: He didn’t want to be Marco Rubio!
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Seinfeld episodes were done on less. It was a two-handed water drink.
A partial transcript is below:
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MSNBC post-speech coverage
2/28/17
10:18RACHEL MADDOW: This will be, I think, a very well-received speech for Donald Trump that's, in part, I think it’s fair to say, a product of expectations, that he's not seen as somebody who necessarily gives a good, formal speech. He is more of a rollicking speech-goer rather than a formal setting speech goer. I do think beyond that surface expectation, it will be a notable thing that the President spent a big portion of what was, in effect, a State of the Union, trying to, you know, tell the country what vicious murdering criminals immigrants are and that is focusing on crimes committed by immigrants. The groan, as you mentioned, Brian, when he mentioned this Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement office, highlighting immigrants as particularly villainous and violent. That's important, an important part of who he is and what he is selling the country.
...
11:03
MATTHEWS: He knew all he had to do all the hand wringing, all the glad handing, all the retail stuff. He did it just like he’s been watching movies of this.
NICOLLE WALLACE: I thought the same thing! Like, he’s seen this scene in a movie and he knows exactly what you’re supposed to do here.
MATTHEWS: Though he jumped the gun on the introduction.
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Though he almost jumped the gun on the Speaker before the final.
MATTHEWS: But that’s a small point. Only someone like us would pick that up.
MADDOW: So, what was with the two-handed water drink? That was very unusual.
MATTHEWS: He didn’t want to be Marco Rubio!
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Seinfeld episodes were done on less. It was a two-handed water drink.
MADDOW: It was two handed.
