After showing little journalistic interest in trying to find out the identity of the anonymous government whistleblower who sparked the impeachment inquiry against President Trump, on Monday, NBC’s Today show touted that the unknown bureaucrat was on the short list to be Time magazine’s Person of the Year. Half of the top ten list was comprised of prominent liberal figures.
“Every year since 1927, Time has selected the man, woman, group, or concept in some cases, that had the most influence on the world during the previous 12 months,” co-host Craig Melvin explained in the 8:00 a.m. ET hour of the broadcast as he and his colleagues prepared to reveal the list of nominees.
Fellow co-host Savannah Guthrie began: “Okay, the top ten list for this year’s award, here it is. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Facebook co-founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, President Trump.” This first grouping at least had some balance, featuring both Pelosi and Trump.
“Also, U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe on the list, the whistleblower, who’s initial complaint about the President’s phone call with Ukraine sparked the impeachment investigation, China’s president Xi Jinping, Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand,” Melvin then added.
This section of the list was remarkably one-sided, a famously left-wing, anti-Trump athlete, the biased whistleblower who inspired Democrats’ impeachment push against Trump, the leader of communist China, and New Zealand’s leader, who has most recently been known for banning firearms throughout her country.
Hoda Kotb chimed in with the rest: “And rounding out the top ten, Swedish Greta teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, the Hong Kong protesters, and Rudy Guiliani, the former New York City mayor and current attorney for President Trump.”
The media adulation for Thunberg has been overwhelming and the only reason to feature Guiliani on the list would be to trash him and promote impeachment.
Guthrie promised that on Tuesday they would shorten the list to five and reveal Time’s Person of the Year on Wednesday’s Today show.
The topic of impeachment also came up during a portion of an exclusive interview with former First Lady Michelle Obama aired in the 7:30 a.m. ET hour. Traveling with Obama in Vietnam to promote girls education, Today show fourth hour co-host Jenna Bush Hager wondered if “we can come back from” impeachment. The former First Lady proceeded to compare it to other dark times in the nation’s history, like the depression, war, and the Jim Crow era:
NBC's @TODAYshow asks @MichelleObama if "we can come back from" impeachment pic.twitter.com/0BmJPh5isg
— Kyle Drennen (@kjdrennen) December 9, 2019
Here is a transcript of the December 9 segment on the Time short list:
8:23 AM ET
HODA KOTB: Also this morning, we are previewing Time’s Person of the Year.
CRAIG MELVIN: Every year since 1927, Time has selected the man, woman, group, or concept in some cases, that had the most influence on the world during the previous 12 months.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Well, for more than a decade, right here we’ve revealed that selection on Today and we’re going to do it again this year.
(...)
GUTHRIE: Starting with today. Okay, the top ten list for this year’s award, here it is. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, Facebook co-founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, President Trump.
MELVIN: Also, U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe on the list, the whistleblower, who’s initial complaint about the President’s phone call with Ukraine sparked the impeachment investigation, China’s president Xi Jinping, Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand.
HODA KOTB: And rounding out the top ten, Swedish Greta teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, the Hong Kong protesters, and Rudy Guiliani, the former New York City mayor and current attorney for President Trump. So they’re going to keep narrowing that down?
GUTHRIE: Alright, that’s the top ten. That’s right – we are actually.
KOTB: We are.
GUTHRIE: We get to do it live. It’s always kind of a fun parlor game, right after the Golden Globes. So tomorrow on Today, we will reveal the final five. And then on Wednesday, be with us live as we find out who it is, who is Time’s Person of the Year.
MELVIN: The big reveal.
