It’s well known that President Trump has no problem with lobbing insults that opponents and those who attack him. It’s something the liberal media whines about almost every day. But on NBC’s Sunday Today, host Willie Geist and Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd misled viewers by appearing to insinuate that the President reserved insults of intelligence to African-Americans. Thus calling him a racist yet again.
“Let's talk about that tweet Friday night insulting the intelligence of both LeBron James and Don Lemon at CNN, an African-American television host,” Geist prefaced. “Was this more than an attack on somebody he saw insulting him on television? And why does he keep going back to the insult on intelligence when it comes to African-American leaders in this country?”
Todd admitted that LeBron did attack the President by saying he never wanted to meet with him, but insisted “there is a troubling pattern here.” “Every time he disparages an African-American political opponent of some sort, whether they're an athlete or an actual elected official, he always goes to intelligence. Always,” he declared.
“It's hard not to notice that pattern and it's hard not to look at it and wonder if there is nefarious motives behind it and some sort of long-term belief system in him or maybe he's just trying to send some sort of dog whistle to his supporters,” Todd continued, shifting his smears to Trump voters. He suggested that it really was “just a whistle” for them as opposed to the mystical “dog whistle” only they could understand.
Geist agreed with his guest and brought up how Trump had called California Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters “low I.Q.” “Always. Does. That,” Todd forcefully huffed. “It is a very disturbing -- look, it's disturbing any time you see these personal attacks on anybody, but it's -- because of the motivation behind it, it's very disturbing.”
While they seemed to argue that attacks on intelligence were something Trump preferred to use on African-Americans, it was actually something he has used on a lot of people, including Todd himself.
According to The New York Times, who made a list of “The 487 People, Places and Things Donald Trump Has Insulted on Twitter” (because they apparently have that kind of time), insults of intelligence were actually quite common. They found that Trump had said Todd “knows so little about politics”.
Trump had also insulted the intelligence of a number of Todd’s white NBC and MSNBC colleagues. The President had called Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski “dumb as a rock” and “crazy and very dumb”. He had also labeled Katy Tur, who fills in for Todd on Mondays’ MTP Daily, as “incompetent”. And his attacks on the intelligence of individual journalists and news outlets were numerous.
The president had even leveled insults of intelligence against a series of white U.S. Senators. He suggested Tennessee Republican Bob Corker was “incompetent” and “doesn't have a clue”. “Dumb mouthpiece”, was what he had to say about South Carolina Republican Linsey Graham. He also slammed Governor Mitt Romney, who’s now running to be a Senator from Utah, “one of the dumbest and worst candidates in the history of Republican politics”.
This was not to defend the President’s incessant insults, it’s to point out that both Geist and Todd were pushing fake news about who and how the President insults.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC
Sunday Today
August 5, 2018
8:07:07 a.m. Eastern(…)
WILLIE GEIST: He did not mention yesterday in the state of Ohio, again Chuck, LeBron James, perhaps wisely not mentioning a guy beloved in that state. Let's talk about that tweet Friday night insulting the intelligence of both LeBron James and Don Lemon at CNN, an African-American television host. LeBron James is the kind of public figure that a lot of people in this country, including me, suggest our kids look up to. Was this more than an attack on somebody he saw insulting him on television? And why does he keep going back to the insult on intelligence when it comes to African-American leaders in this country?
CHUCK TODD: Okay. Look, I'm going to get to the second part in a minute, but remember what that interview -- in that interview, Don Lemon did ask LeBron James about talking with the President. And LeBron James made it clear he would never sit across the table from President Trump. So as we know, when President Trump feels insulted, then he just lashes out insults.
But look, there is a troubling pattern here. Every time he disparages an African-American political opponent of some sort, whether they're an athlete or an actual elected official, he always goes to intelligence.
GEIST: Yup.
TODD: Always. It's hard not to notice that pattern and it's hard not to look at it and wonder if there is nefarious motives behind it and some sort of long-term belief system in him or maybe he's just trying to send some sort of dog whistle to his supporters. Although, I think some would say it isn't a dog whistle, it's just a whistle.
GEIST: Yeah, it sure sounds like it to a lot of people. He called Maxine waters low I.Q. as we heard in Kelly’s piece.
TODD: Always. Does. That. It is a very disturbing -- look, it's disturbing any time you see these personal attacks on anybody, but it's -- because of the motivation behind it, it's very disturbing.
(…)
