Throughout President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday, MSNBC’s The Last Word would break away from the live video in order to do on-the-fly commentary, which often included attacking the President on what he was saying. Towards the end of the of the 10 o’clock hour, host Lawrence O’Donnell left the Trump rally behind to really give his stacked liberal panel a good go at Trump and his supporters.
O’Donnell began by going to Jennifer Rubin to hype possible GOP primary opponents Trump could possibly face. “Oh yeah, I think if he lasts that long, I think there is some question whether he is going to wear out his welcome before then or that he is going to have a complete break with reality,” Rubin sneered.
She described the President as a “basket case” and then proceeded to chastise Republican politicians for not fighting against him. “My regret is they've all been so cowardly for so long and did nothing to stop him and it took this long to whisper on background that he was unfit,” she exclaimed.
Journalist David Cay Johnston was more worried about the menacing Trump supporters present at the rally. According to him, they were all amped up were going into the streets with their guns. “And tonight in this audience look at how he has stirred this crowd up. What's going to happen when those people go back out into the streets,” he fretted. “…because the unsettling nature of that and the places like open carry states like Arizona is going to have an intimidating effect on people.”
The MSNBC host dove into deep conspiracy theory territory, claiming Trump was using the event to raise money for an anterior motive. “The Trump 2020 campaign is raising money I can use for another purpose and that is paying the criminal defense lawyers who are representing Donald Trump in the various investigations,” O’Donnell asserted with absolutely no evidence, just conjecture.
Joe Biden’s former Chief of Staff Ron Klain agreed with O’Donnell. But he went further and claimed Trump was taking his supporters for suckers:
I mean, I think he is trying to get people to use these -- this colorful crazy wild language that stirs up his base to get people to write checks that are going to be used to pay for Donald Jr.'s criminal defense. And that's what this is. It's no different than the Trump University scam except there will be more and more victims all over the country sucked into this.
Ironically, during his speech, Trump joked that he could see the media turning off the live feeds to his speech. It seems that he was correct in the case of MSNBC.
Transcript below:
MSNBC
The Last Word
August 22, 2017
10:55:19 PM Eastern(…)
LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Okay this is a familiar portion of a Trump speech. He is obviously working from a teleprompter and then leaving it whenever he wants to expand on points. And -- and Jennifer Rubin, I want to come back to this question of possible Republican challengers to this President in the next presidential primary.
JENNIFER RUBIN: Oh yeah, I think if he lasts that long, I think there is some question whether he is going to wear out his welcome before then or that he is going to have a complete break with reality. I absolutely think there is going to be at least one challenger. Listen, if Jimmy Carter had a challenger and if Gerald Ford had a challenger this guy is certainly going to have a challenger. And that may come within the party. If that's doesn't work, there may be a third party candidate.
I think what you're seeing now clearly with the story that surfaced on The New York Times about Mitch McConnell and his knock out drag out with the President, is that members publicly, privately are acknowledging that guy is a basket case, that he cannot serve, he cannot lead the party. My regret is they've all been so cowardly for so long and did nothing to stop him and it took this long to whisper on background that he was unfit. Where were the folks seven months ago, ten months ago, two years ago? But be that as it may.
To your question: I absolutely think there will be challengers.
(…)
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: And tonight in this audience look at how he has stirred this crowd up. What's going to happen when those people go back out into the streets? This is -- we're going to see a pattern I suspect of more of this by Donald of stirring crowds up who are his supporters because the unsettling nature of that and the places like open carry states like Arizona is going to have an intimidating effect on people.
(…)
O’DONNELL: And Ron Klain, this is a campaign event. This is paid for by the Trump 2020 campaign. The Trump 2020 campaign is raising money I can use for another purpose and that is paying the criminal defense lawyers who are representing Donald Trump in the various investigations. And it may be that running this campaign fund and raising this money as he is doing now is actually more important to him today as a defense fund than it is for paying for renting halls like this.
RON KLAIN: This is the Trump University of political campaigns. I mean, I think he is trying to get people to use these -- this colorful crazy wild language that stirs up his base to get people to write checks that are going to be used to pay for Donald Jr.'s criminal defense. And that's what this is. It's no different than the Trump University scam except there will be more and more victims all over the country sucked into this.
(…)
