Speaking on the Friday edition of the Fox News Channel’s Your World, MRC President Brent Bozell came out swinging against the liberal media and their refusal to cover stories of economic growth under President Trump, telling fill-in host Trish Regan they “loathe him” so much that “if he finds a cure for cancer, they'll attack him for not curing AIDS.”
Bozell also chimed in on the explosive claim originally reported by The Washington Post about the President decrying “s***hole countries,” informing Regan that it’s “a silly story in the Oval Office.”
Regan welcomed Bozell after informing viewers that, between Thursday’s major broadcast network evening and Friday morning newscasts, the “big three” (ABC, CBS, and NBC) spent 33 minutes on Trump’s vulgar language but only about five minutes on “Walmart's tax cut bonuses and minimum wage hike.”
Bozell noted that the media carried water for Barack Obama and attacked Walmart for not lifting their minimum wage. But now that they have raised their wages thanks to the Trump tax plan, the networks have given it minuscule airtime. He continued:
[I]f this were the Obama administration, the media would be at the door of Walmart talking about hope and change and celebrating the result of the economic policies of Barack Obama. And yet, we’re — it's not just the bias by commission, what you see in this silly story in the Oval Office, but it’s the bias by omission where they're not telling the story of what is really going on in this country. This is huge what's happening.
When putting a finger on why the liberal media aren’t interested, Bozell unloaded:
It's just as simple as this. They loathe this man. They are not going to give him, I've said this before, if he finds a cure for cancer, they'll attack him for not curing AIDS. There is nothing this man can do they'll give him credit for....This is an explosive economy. This is the media that have been saying that Donald Trump was going to destroy the economy.
Regan suggested that “there's a variety of reasons for it, in part, I think sometimes, well, a lot of journalists are a little bored by economics or maybe they don’t understand economics and so they would rather cover the silliness as opposed to actually covering the substance, but what you’re saying is it’s beyond that.”
After Bozell slammed CNN.com for its obsessive coverage of Trump’s “s***hole countries” line, the pair closed by circling back to the lack of Walmart coverage with Bozell pointing out something such as Walmart’s announcement is no longer news to these people.
Here’s the relevant transcript from FNC’s Your World on January 12:
FNC’s Your World
January 12, 2018
4:15 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: New Focus on Mainstream Media Coverage of Trump in Wake of Immigration Comments]
TRISH REGAN: Well, the President started it, certainly and the mainstream media has been more than happy to run with it, certainly. You know what I'm talking about. The alleged comments made during yesterday's meeting. The major evening newscasts and morning shows — well — spent nearly 33 minutes, can you imagine, reporting and discussing President Trump's controversial immigration comments. But you know how much time they spent covering Walmart's tax cut bonuses and minimum wage hike? Around five minutes and get this, media watchdog Brent Bozell says ABC didn't mention Walmart once. Brent, good to see you. Is this a little bias, not to mention such a significant major story? I mean, that was also a big part of the news cycle yesterday.
BRENT BOZELL: Well, let’s put it in perspective, Trish. For — during the Obama years and going back before that, you’ve had the left, led by the national media, doing thousands of stories about the need to increase the minimum wage and as they have talked about that, they've pointed the finger directly at Walmart. Walmart's response all along the way has been that you didn't have the numbers, that would allow it. It just didn't allow it. Well, what happened? With the trump tax cuts, margins have changed, immediately, in such a way that Walmart announces an increase to $11 an hour and massive bonuses to its employees. You would — if this were the Obama administration, the media would be at the door of Walmart talking about hope and change and celebrating the result of the economic policies of Barack Obama. And yet, we’re — it's not just the bias by commission, what you see in this silly story in the Oval Office, but it’s the bias by omission where they're not telling the story of what is really going on in this country. This is huge what's happening.
REGAN: Is it in part because they don't want to see any success out of the Trump administration because that might mean success for President Trump and possibly another four years? Or you know, come midterms, the Republicans might have the upper hand because the economy is doing well? Is that in part what's motivating this, Brent?
BOZELL: No, it's not in part, it's 100 percent why. This is — this is, Trish, the reason why. It's just as simple as this. They loathe this man. They are not going to give him, I've said this before, if he finds a cure for cancer, they'll attack him for not curing AIDS. There is nothing this man can do they'll give him credit for. You know, and your colleague, Neil Cavuto has been doing stories on the fact that the Dow hit 25 — 25,000. The highest number in the history of man, barely got a wink from anybody. This is an explosive economy. This is the media that have been saying that Donald Trump was going to destroy the economy.
REGAN: Oh sure.
BOZELL: The evidence is here and nobody is covering it.
REGAN: Well, they're still saying it. You have Nancy Pelosi saying that this is effectively Armageddon, this tax cut plan, and that companies are giving crumbs to their workers. Hey, last time I checked, $1,000 is $1,000 and that's some real money to a lot of families all over the country, Brent.
BOZELL: You know, what 1.2 percent was becoming the new normal. We were being told that to get ready for that as the new normal in America and now you’ve got top economists saying, scratching their heads, saying is it possible we could hit four percent this year? No coverage.
REGAN: Yeah. You know, there's a variety of reasons for it, in part, I think sometimes, well, a lot of journalists are a little bored by economics or maybe they don’t understand economics.
BOZELL: But, how about, Trish —
REGAN: And so they would rather cover the silliness as opposed to actually covering the substance, but what you’re saying is it’s beyond that.
BOZELL: If you go on CNN, I went on there a while ago, it may have changed a little bit but not much, you go their website, you will see there are 12 stories on the front page, attacking Trump for being, you know, the s-word or being a racist. There are three other stories attacking Trump on something and then one story on national news. That's CNN's news right now and then their second level is, it's his fitness, physical fitness and it’s about how he may be deranged.
REGAN: Yeah and, as you pointed out, ABC, one of the major network newscasts, didn't bother to do anything on the Walmart news. Again, another major piece of news.
BOZELL: It’s not news. There’s no longer news.
REGAN: Wow.
BOZELL: News is done.
REGAN: Sadly. Not here, though, not here, Brent, not here, and not on the Fox Business Network. We still care about this stuff.
BOZELL: That's why we're here. That's why we're here.
REGAN: Indeed. Thank you so much, sir. Good to see you. Have a great weekend.
BOZELL: Thank you, Trish. Have a great weekend.
