The NBC, ABC, and CBS morning shows on Wednesday were grateful that a liberal federal judge sent the White House “reeling” after he handed President Trump “another big setback” to his “hardline immigration policy.” Rather than actually highlight the criminals who have evaded capture due to lax enforcement of immigration laws in left-wing sanctuary cities, the networks instead celebrated the ruling as a loss for the administration.
On NBC’s Today, co-host Matt Lauer eagerly announced that “plans to cut funding for so-called sanctuary cities” had “taken a big hit from a federal judge.” Correspondent Kristen Welker scolded: “President Trump is lashing out at the latest court to block him.” After reading a tweet from the President attacking the “ridiculous” ruling, she smugly proclaimed: “It is yet another controversy with that 100-day benchmark looming.”
As the taped portion of the slanted segment began, Welker hyped: “This morning, the Trump administration is reeling after being dealt a major blow by another federal judge....This is the third immigration order stopped by federal courts in the President’s first 100 days.”
ABC’s Good Morning America took an identical biased approach to the story, as co-host George Stephanopoulous touted: “On sanctuary cities, the President has another setback in the courts.” Chief White House Correspondent Jon Karl readily agreed: “Yeah, and this is another big setback in the courts for the President’s agenda. Remember the travel ban EO, executive order, was knocked down. This knocked down.”
Leading off CBS This Morning, co-host Charlie Rose joined his colleagues in the pile on as he noted that Trump “suffers a new setback in his immigration plans.” Minutes later, fill-in co-host Alex Wagner described how the President “lashed out this morning at a judge who blocked one of his orders on illegal immigration.”
Correspondent Margaret Brennan hailed: “A federal judge in California ordered President Trump to stop trying to cut aid to so-called sanctuary cities, calling the executive order ‘likely unconstitutional.’” A soundbite ran of San Francisco City Attorney David Herrera reveling in the decision: “This is why we have courts, to halt the overreach of a president and attorney general who either don’t understand the Constitution or choose to ignore it.”
Brennan followed: “The ruling halts a signature campaign promise made by Mr. Trump....This is the third high-profile blow dealt by U.S. courts to President Trump’s hardline immigration policy.”
No pressure whatsoever was brought to bear on Democrats in such cities protecting criminal illegal aliens from federal authorities. All that mattered for the hostile anchors and reporters was that the Trump agenda was blocked.
Here are excerpts of the celebratory coverage on the April 26 NBC, ABC, and CBS morning shows:
Today
7:05 AM ET
MATT LAUER: The White House plans to cut funding for so-called sanctuary cities, and that plan has taken a big hit from a federal judge. But the President is vowing he’s not done fighting. NBC White House Correspondent Kristen Welker has mor on that. Kristen, good morning to you.
KRISTEN WELKER: Matt, good morning to you. And President Trump is lashing out at the latest court to block him, tweeting just moments ago, “First the Ninth Circuit rules against the ban,” that’s a reference to his travel ban, “and now it hits again on sanctuary cities. Both ridiculous rulings. See you in the Supreme Court!” It is yet another controversy with that 100-day benchmark looming.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Judge Blocks Trump’s “Sanctuary Cities” Order; White House Slams “Egregious” Ruling by Federal Court]
This morning, the Trump administration is reeling after being dealt a major blow by another federal judge. This time over the White House withholding federal funds from so-called “sanctuary cities,” where local governments limit police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The judge out of San Francisco calling the President’s January 25th executive order “unconstitutional.”
Late Tuesday, the White House fired back. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus saying, “It’s the Ninth Circuit going bananas.” Adding, “We'll win at the Supreme Court at some point.”
This is the third immigration order stopped by federal courts in the President’s first 100 days.
(...)
Good Morning America
7:05 AM ET(...)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: On sanctuary cities, the President has another setback in the courts. The Ninth Circuit Court saying that they can’t – the Justice Department cannot punish sanctuary cities by withholding federal funds.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: President Bashes “Sanctuary Cities” Ruling; Judge Blocks Effort to Withhold Federal Funds]
JON KARL: Yeah, and this is another big setback in the courts for the President’s agenda. Remember the travel ban EO, executive order, was knocked down. This knocked down. The President tweeting this morning that he will see the Ninth Circuit in the Supreme Court. Taking the battle all the way up. There is no doubt that we will see a big battle at the Supreme Court over the President’s priorities, one in which Neil Gorsuch could be the key vote.
(...)
CBS This Morning
7:03 AM ET(...)
ALEX WAGNER: The president was talking tough yesterday, accusing Canada of unfair trade and he lashed out this morning at a judge who blocked one of his orders on illegal immigration. Margaret Brennan is at the White House. Margaret, good morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Good morning. Well, this is the third time in two months that a federal judge has halted one of President Trump’s immigration orders. This time blocking him from cutting funds to so-called sanctuary cities. In one of a series of tweets this morning, President Trump called the California judge’s decision, quote, “ridiculous” and vowed to take the fight to the Supreme Court.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Judge Halts Order; Court Stops Plan to Cut Aid to Sanctuary Cities]
A federal judge in California ordered President Trump to stop trying to cut aid to so-called sanctuary cities, calling the executive order “likely unconstitutional.” The White House hit back in a statement last night, saying the judge’s ruling puts, quote, “thousands of innocent lives at risk” and officials who wrote sanctuary city reforms, like those in San Francisco, quote, “have the blood of dead Americans on their hands.” San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed the lawsuit against the administration.
DENNIS HERRERA: This is why we have courts, to halt the overreach of a president and attorney general who either don’t understand the Constitution or choose to ignore it.
BRENNAN: The ruling halts a signature campaign promise made by Mr. Trump.
DONALD TRUMP: We've been talking about this right from the beginning.
BRENNAN: On his fifth day in office, the President signed the order to punish local governments that impede authorities from deporting immigrants with criminal records that he argues pose a safety risk.
This is the third high-profile blow dealt by U.S. courts to President Trump’s hardline immigration policy.
(...)
