Just seconds before President Trump’s joint press conference with outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday, NBC’s chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel touted left-wing protesters on the streets of London calling Trump a “fascist” and making him a “subject of ridicule.”
Anchoring the network’s special report on the event, Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie turned to Engel, who was with the demonstrators: “Keir [Simmons] mentioned some of the unrest in London in the run up to this visit. Richard, what have you seen today?” Engel eagerly hyped the scene:
So there have been thousands of people on the streets here in downtown London. The issues they are discussing are very serious. They say that President Trump is against the environment, he’s meddling in British politics, he is a fascist. But they are taking it with a comedic tone. The President is a figure of a – something of a figure of ridicule on the streets here.
As soon as the press conference ended, Guthrie returned to Engel so he could blast Trump’s remarks dismissing the protesters: “Listening to President Trump, it sounds like he has been in a different city than we have been in. We have not seen thousands of people out on the streets welcoming President Trump. That sounded to be somewhat delusional.”
The reporter emphasized how much the protesters objected to the President’s visit:
Instead, we have seen thousands of people who have been quite actively, quite boisterously expressing their opposition to President Trump. They say they don’t want him here. They are upset that the British government has rolled out the red carpet. And there are many different groups that have come together on the streets. There are women’s rights groups, there are environmental groups, there are people who support Palestinian rights. But they are all coming together with one message, in that they do not support President Trump.
In addition to his on-air promotion of the demonstrations against Trump, Engel also took to Twitter to share this apparently important piece of information: “The main cheer: say it loud, say it clear, Donald Trump’s not welcome here.”
Earlier Tuesday morning, the network morning shows couldn’t get enough of the protesters, claiming there were “possibly even hundreds of thousands” taking to the streets to deride the “deeply unpopular” President.
It’s not just that journalists report on the protests, it’s that they often seem to join the demonstrations as fellow liberal activists.
Here is a transcript of Engel’s remarks during NBC’s June 4 special coverage:
9:06 AM ET
(...)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Briefly, if we have a moment, we can go to Richard Engel. Keir [Simmons] mentioned some of the unrest in London in the run up to this visit. Richard, what have you seen today?
RICHARD ENGEL: So there have been thousands of people on the streets here in downtown London. The issues they are discussing are very serious. They say that President Trump is against the environment, he’s meddling in British politics, he is a fascist. But they are taking it with a comedic tone. The President is a figure of a – something of a figure of ridicule on the streets here. Savannah?
GUTHRIE: Richard, thank you so much.
(...)
9:35 AM ET
GUTHRIE: Richard Engel is in position at Trafalgar Square in London where probably one of the biggest protests has been taking place. What have you seen, Richard?
RICHARD ENGEL: So we are actually now in Parliament Square. We’ve been moving with the protesters, who started at Trafalgar Square and have been circulating through downtown London. Listening to President Trump, it sounds like he has been in a different city than we have been in. We have not seen thousands of people out on the streets welcoming President Trump. That sounded to be somewhat delusional.
Instead, we have seen thousands of people who have been quite actively, quite boisterously expressing their opposition to President Trump. They say they don’t want him here. They are upset that the British government has rolled out the red carpet. And there are many different groups that have come together on the streets. There are women’s rights groups, there are environmental groups, there are people who support Palestinian rights. But they are all coming together with one message, in that they do not support President Trump.
And the reason we heard so much British politics today is that this country is very much at a crossroads. It can either stay in the European Union or it can have this Brexit option. And they see President Trump there offering a different path. Leave the EU, continue on Brexit, and make this trade deal with President Trump. And people who have been on the streets here say they just don’t trust this president for the future of the United Kingdom.
GUTHRIE: Alright, Richard Engel, out with the protesters in London.
(...)
