Former President Bill Clinton appeared with co-author James Patterson on CBS News Sunday Morning to promote their new book The President Is Missing were the book deals with a cyber-attack and impeachment. While they were there, humorist and correspondent Mo Rocca questioned Clinton on the media’s coverage of President Trump and compared it to the coverage of President Obama. Clinton admitted the press loved Obama but suggest the press would be harsher if Trump were a Democrat.
“Do you think that the press has been fair to President Trump,” Rocca wondered after discussing Clinton’s own impeachment.
According to Clinton, the press “have tried by and large to cover this investigation based on the facts.” Bill should try his hand at being a comedian because that was funny. As has been observed, most of the liberal media’s coverage of the Russia probe dealt solely in wild speculation based on scant facts or evidence.
“I think if the roles were reversed now,” Clinton continued. “I'm just -- this is me just talkin'. Based on my experience. If it were a democratic president, and these facts were present, most people I know in Washington believe impeachment hearings would have begun already.” He also suggested that people he’s spoken to “believe that the press would have been that hard or harder.” Yet, during his impeachment, the press were whining that people didn’t want to hear about his misconduct.
Rocca pushed back a bit on Clinton’s assertion noting conservative observations of liberal media bias. “You hear from Trump supporters who say, ‘the press slobbered all over President Obama. He could do no wrong, and now this guy can do no right. What gives?’ That there's a kind of whiplash,” he explained.
Clinton then admitted the “political press” picked the champions they would carry the banner for. “Well, they did treat him differently than other Democrats and Republicans,” he said. “It was the political press. You know, I don't know. They liked him. And they liked having the first African-American president…”
Before moving away from the topic of Trump, Rocca let Clinton and his co-author complain about Trump’s use of Twitter and his rhetorical style. “I don't like all this. I couldn't be elected anything now because I just don't like embarrassing people,” Clinton lamented. “My mother would have whipped me for five days in a row when I was a little boy if I spent all my time bad mouthing people like this.” What would his mother do if she learned he allegedly told a woman to “put some ice on that”?
This assessment of the press by the former President was comical considering how the press fawned for him and his wife. While he asserted the press would be harder on a Democrat, we all know that if his wife was the one in charge the press would allow the Clinton playbook to run unopposed.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS
Sunday Morning
June 3, 2018
10:03:59 AM Eastern [2 minutes 35 seconds](…)
MO ROCCA: In this MeToo age, some including members of his own party like New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand have said Clinton should have stepped out because of the affair. [To Clinton] Since we're talking about that period, what did you think six months ago when senator Gillibrand said he should have resigned?
BILL CLINTON: Well, I just disagree with her. I mean, I think, you know, you have to really ignore what the context was. But, you know, she's living in a different context. She did it for different reasons. So I – but I just disagree with her.
ROCCA: As for the investigation led by Robert Mueller, swirling around the current commander in chief.
DONALD TRUMP: We now call it Spygate.
ROCCA: Do you think that the press has been fair to President Trump?
CLINTON: I think they have tried by and large to cover this investigation based on the facts. I think if the roles were reversed now, I'm just -- this is me just talkin'. Based on my experience. If it were a democratic president, and these facts were present, most people I know in Washington believe impeachment hearings would have begun already.
ROCCA: If there a Democrat in power?
CLINTON: Yes. And most people I know believe that the press would have been that hard or harder. But these are serious issues.
ROCCA: You hear from Trump supporters who say, “the press slobbered all over President Obama. He could do no wrong, and now this guy can do no right. What gives?” That there's a kind of whiplash.
CLINTON: Well, they did treat him differently than other Democrats and Republicans because they --
ROCCA: Why?
CLINTON: It was the political press. You know, I don't know. They liked him. And they liked having the first African-American president, and he was a good president, I think. I don't agree with President Trump's assessment of his service.
ROCCA: Nor do the authors agree with the current president’s rhetorical style. President Trump, this is just fact, is fond of personal insults. I mean, he still refers to Mrs. Clinton as “Crooked Hillary” in tweets.
JAMES PATTERSON, co-author: It's been effective for him. It's unbelievable that he became president. But he figured some things out. And I think most people do not like these tweets. They just wish that it wouldn't go that way.
CLINTON: I don't like all this. I couldn't be elected anything now because I just don't like embarrassing people. My mother would have whipped me for five days in a row when I was a little boy if I spent all my time bad mouthing people like this.
(...)
