Reporting for Friday’s Today show, NBC’s senior Washington correspondent Andrea Mitchell seemed enamored by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg “getting under the President’s skin.” In a segment designed to boost the Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign, she touted Bloomberg “saying he won’t be bullied” by President Trump.
Co-host Savannah Guthrie hyped how Trump was “locked in a Twitter feud” with Bloomberg, “who is quickly rising in the polls in the Democratic presidential race and is ready to spend billions.” Mitchell then gushed: “Well, Mike Bloomberg’s rising poll numbers and his unlimited spending on advertising have clearly gotten President Trump’s attention. To the delight, I should say, of the Bloomberg campaign, which seems to revel in getting under the President’s skin.”
The headline on screen blared: “Battle of the Billionaires; Bloomberg Fights Back Against Trump Tweets.” Mitchell assured viewers: “The former New York mayor saying he won’t be bullied. Brushing off the President’s tweets referring to him as ‘Mini Mike.’”
A soundbite followed of Bloomberg telling supporters: “I come from New York just like him and I’m not afraid of Donald Trump and he knows it.”
Mitchell happily touted the Democrat’s effort to “fight back”: “Bloomberg giving the President his own label, in a tweet calling him a ‘carnival barking clown’ that squandered a fortune with ‘stupid deals and incompetence.’”
“While touring North Carolina, Bloomberg also touting a recent poll giving him a nine-point advantage in a hypothetical match-up with the President,” the reporter added moments later.
Only briefly did Mitchell mention the racial controversy swirling around Bloomberg, but even that became a jab at Trump: “The President hoping to seize on recent criticism of Bloomberg’s past policies, going after Bloomberg’s use of stop-and-frisk, a practice Mr. Trump himself had previously praised.”
In the liberal media primary, a Democratic candidate’s ability to irk Donald Trump seems to be a top priority.
Here is a transcript of the February 14 report:
7:12 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: We want to turn back to politics now. Just hours before the President was called out by the Attorney General for his tweets, we just showed you that, he actually was locked in a Twitter feud. And his target: Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor who is quickly rising in the polls in the Democratic presidential race and is ready to spend billions. NBC’s senior Washington correspondent Andrea Mitchell has that part of the story. Andrea, good morning.
ANDREA MITCHELL: Good morning, Savannah. Well, Mike Bloomberg’s rising poll numbers and his unlimited spending on advertising have clearly gotten President Trump’s attention. To the delight, I should say, of the Bloomberg campaign, which seems to revel in getting under the President’s skin.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Battle of the Billionaires; Bloomberg Fights Back Against Trump Tweets]
On air and online, Michael Bloomberg and President Trump trading barbs in a battle of the billionaires. The former New York mayor saying he won’t be bullied. Brushing off the President’s tweets referring to him as “Mini Mike.”
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG: I come from New York just like him and I’m not afraid of Donald Trump and he knows it. Where I come from, we measure your height from your neck up.
MITCHELL: Bloomberg giving the President his own label, in a tweet calling him a “carnival barking clown” that squandered a fortune with “stupid deals and incompetence.”
While touring North Carolina, Bloomberg also touting a recent poll giving him a nine-point advantage in a hypothetical match-up with the President.
BLOOMBERG: I’d beat Trump by a bigger margin than anyone else and I’ve only been in the race for 11 weeks. Just imagine what the polls will look like in 11 months from now.
MITCHELL: The President hoping to seize on recent criticism of Bloomberg’s past policies, going after Bloomberg’s use of stop-and-frisk, a practice Mr. Trump himself had previously praised.
DONALD TRUMP: What Bloomberg did to the black community was a disgrace.
MITCHELL: Overnight, Bloomberg rallying in another Super Tuesday state, deep-red but delegate-rich Texas, with back-to-back rallies in Houston.
BLOOMBERG: I am going to take the fight to Donald Trump all over America, including right here in Texas!
MITCHELL: Meanwhile, Joe Biden is looking to regain ground after disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire. The former VP chuckling when asked about Bloomberg, saying he looks forward to debating him. Bloomberg likely to be on the debate stage for the first time as soon as next week, if he qualifies, as is expected, for the NBC debate in Vegas.
JOE BIDEN: I don’t think you can buy an election. I’ve been the only guy through this process so far, person, who has been totally vetted.
(...)
