On Thursday night after Vice President Mike Pence’s 2020 RNC speech, ABC journalists and liberal panelists were less-than-pleased he didn’t forcefully speak out against Sunday’s shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, condemn armed individuals defending businesses from rioters, and accept responsibility for the size and scope of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Linsey Davis, he also spoke out against Joe Biden, said not one word last week about the violence in the streets, I imagine many Democrats will say back, not one word from Mike Pence about Jacob Blake shot in the back by police,” said chief anchor and former Clinton official George Stephanopoulos.
Davis reiterated that Pence never said Blake’s name “and the only time that he talked about Kenosha at all was to say, ‘the violence must stop,’ ‘we will have law and order.’”
Reporting from Fort McHenry, senior congressional correspondent Mary Bruce noticed that while Pence’s “biggest applause line” was when he denounced the rioting in Kenosha, he didn’t take on “the root causes, the root concerns of those protesters.”
Chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl didn’t mince words in attacking what Pence said about the administration’s coronavirus response to the point of mocking his speech as one that would have amazed someone who “didn’t know what had happened in the last six months.”
Along with ripping Pence’s “revisionist history,” Karl took shots at the administration’s travel bans that allowed American citizens to return home (click “expand”):
STEPHANOPOULOS: He made the defensive [sic] of Donald Trump the heart of his speech. The attack, of course, on how the President has responded to the pandemic, the heart of the Democrat’s convention. Put it all in context.
KARL: Well, it was quite a performance. If you were just listening to Mike Pence and you didn't know what had happened over the last six months, you would have thought that the battle against coronavirus was a smashing success for the Trump administration. George, he did not mention the fact that now nearly 180,000 Americans have died. He mentioned the travel ban from China, said it had sold — saved untold lives but he didn't mention the fact that tens of thousands of people were able to travel back from China, American nationals, dual nationals, and that none of them were tested and that none of them were quarantined or the fact that the travel ban from Europe, where health experts think most of the coronavirus came from to the United States, that travel ban didn't happen until more than a month later, so a bit of revisionist history on coronavirus but again, if you weren't paying much attention, pretty effective one.
Republican panelists Chris Christie and Sara Fargen both praised the speech as “effective,” “great,” and “meat and potatoes speech,” but it was a split decision for ABC’s liberal panelists as Rahm Emanuel thought Pence did “a good job” for Trump while Yvette Simpson derided the address as divisive (click “expand”):
EMANUEL: I think he did a good job for the President of the United States. It was a workman’s-like speech. Part of it reminded me of an old Republican Party that's been blown away by Donald Trump, ironically given by Pence for what is basically a total Trump Republican Party. But he served the purpose that the President needed, which is — and also softened up, like Melania did last night. I mean, there's faults in all of this. Overall, he's going to do — he got his job done as the Vice President, showing loyalty, commitment, and also laying out the case for the candidacy.
(....)
SIMPSON: I think he continues to talk to a small group of Americans, smallest, smaller group of Americans that don't think about or know what's happening in our country. He said, we value peaceful protests. What could be more peaceful than kneeling, which he was the most vocal opponent of? He says he doesn't want to see violence in the streets, but he didn't mention Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot protesters last night, went home safely by — escorted by police and was just arrested this morning. Just the contradictions are with me so significant and I think part of that is he's talking to this very small group of Americans that don't represent most of us.
And at least from a time standpoint, ABC deserves credit as having dedicated almost seven minutes of analysis to Pence’s speech, both before and after country music star Trace Adkins sang the Star-Spangled Banner. CBS only mustered 93 seconds before bailing after Adkins finished and NBC 111 seconds before Adkins and pivoted after a commercial break to previewing Thursday’s agenda.
Speaking of the former, CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell gave Pence a small dose of praise in going to 60 Minutes correspondent John Dickerson, calling it “a stirring address, a long speech, in which he hit about every point you could make.”
Dickerson replied that Pence gave a “straight-up” and “very solid speech” for a running mate, even though he provided “lots in there for the fact checkers, of course, to work on.”
He also hit Trump and Pence for having presided over the deaths of 180,000 Americans from the coroanvirus (as if to pin it on them), but admitted that the state of the race will change between Wednesday and Election Day
Meanwhile, NBC only offered just under two minutes of analysis before pivoting to Adkins back at Fort McHenry, a commercial break, and looking ahead to Thursday night.
But in that time, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd actually complimented Pence as the “most conservatives,” “most polished and disciplined messenger” on Team Trump with the ability to level “his Biden attacks with a sunnier way about him and so when he does it, I think there is a — there’s a toughness to it, but it lands without an edge.”
ABC’s tsk-tsking of Pence’s speech was brought to you by advertisers such as Allegra, Amazon, and Nature’s Bounty. Follow the links to the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcripts from August 26, click “expand.”
ABC’s The Republican National Convention -- Your Voice/Your Vote 2020
August 26, 2020
11:10 p.m. EasternGEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Vice President Mike Pence. That last line, Make America Great Again, Again. Quite a different feel from the Democratic convention last week. You see that invited crowd, including Medal of Honor winners, paralyzed veterans, and now you hear Hail to the Chief. You know what that means. [HAIL TO THE CHIEF PLAYS] President Trump and the First Lady now coming out to join the Vice President, after about a 36-minute speech that was a full throated defense of Donald Trump, bare knuckled attack and Joe Biden. Want to bring in Rahm Emanuel here. Did he draw blood?
RAHM EMANUEL: I think he did a good job for the President of the United States. It was a workman’s-like speech. Part of it reminded me of an old Republican Party that's been blown away by Donald Trump, ironically given by Pence for what is basically a total Trump Republican Party. But he served the purpose that the President needed, which is — and also softened up, like Melania did last night. I mean, there's faults in all of this. Overall, he's going to do — he got his job done as the Vice President, showing loyalty, commitment, and also laying out the case for the candidacy.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Chris Christie?
CHRIS CHRISTIE: Yeah, it's what I predicted he would do, George. Meat and potatoes speech. He laid out the issues, contrasted them with what Joe Biden has said previously and what they anticipate they'll say in the future and I think Mike Pence checked the box tonight.
(....)
11:14 p.m. Eastern
STEPHANOPOULOS: David Muir, he covered a lot of ground there in that speech, including those in the path of Hurricane Laura, said, we're going to be staying safe, we’re going to be with you every step of the way.
DAVID MUIR: He did. He said there would be a federal response, that FEMA is already preparing for what could come and George, I think we heard something else that we will hear under seven days left to the election, we will hear a lot from Mike Pence and from President Trump. He spoke of the hardship this year, a year like no other but he said, we are finding our way forward again and he asked this question of people watching tonight. Who will rebuild the economy better? Who will be bet apt at doing that? They know that Biden leads in the polls but there's a vulnerability, but that in poll after poll, President Trump leads on the economy. And that will be an argument they're going to try to make, even though they know Americans are feeling this pandemic and they are seeing what they're seeing in Kenosha and as we brace for a hurricane now in the south.
STEPHANOPOULOS: That has been his greatest strength in the polls so far. Linsey Davis, he also spoke out against Joe Biden, said not one word last week about the violence in the streets, I imagine many Democrats will say back, not one word from Mike Pence about Jacob Blake shot in the back by police.
LINSEY DAVIS: Never mentioned his name one time and the only time that he talked about Kenosha at all was to say, the violence must stop, we will have law and order. He did talk about directly coronavirus. I think that if he had a thesis statement, it was, essentially, you will not be safe in Joe Biden's America. He made his case for why as far as economic recovery and law and order.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Jon Karl, I want to bring you in on the coronavirus. You saw that, of course, Mike Pence, the head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. He made the defensive [sic] of Donald Trump the heart of his speech. The attack, of course, on how the President has responded to the pandemic, the heart of the Democrat’s convention. Put it all in context.
JONATHAN KARL: Well, it was quite a performance. If you were just listening to Mike Pence and you didn't know what had happened over the last six months, you would have thought that the battle against coronavirus was a smashing success for the Trump administration. George, he did not mention the fact that now nearly 180,000 Americans have died. He mentioned the travel ban from China, said it had sold — saved untold lives but he didn't mention the fact that tens of thousands of people were able to travel back from China, American nationals, dual nationals, and that none of them were tested and that none of them were quarantined or the fact that the travel ban from Europe, where health experts think most of the coronavirus came from to the United States, that travel ban didn't happen until more than a month later, so a bit of revisionist history on coronavirus but again, if you weren't paying much attention, pretty effective one.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And he also had that attack on Joe Biden on national security. He quoted Bob Gates who, of course, served as secretary of defense in both Republican and Democrat administrations, including President Obama. He said that he called — Joe Biden was wrong on every major foreign policy issue over the last 40 years. That is accurate, but Bob Gates has also said is that [sic] Donald Trump is unfit and unqualified to be commander in chief and a divider. Sara, how did he do?
SARA FAGEN: I thought it was a great speech. I thought he did something else that was very effective and very intentional, picking up on what the First Lady started last night, which is, early in the speech, he said, he has a lot of opinions, you always know where he stands, he's kept it interesting, he got a laugh out of the crowd. This is something that we're going to see more of, which is, yes, we acknowledge that Donald Trump says things on Twitter he shouldn't, but his policies are right and — and he is right on the economy and we heard that very strongly tonight.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Yvette Simpson?
YVETTE SIMPSON: I think he continues to talk to a small group of Americans, smallest, smaller group of Americans that don't think about or know what's happening in our country. He said, we value peaceful protests. What could be more peaceful than kneeling, which he was the most vocal opponent of? He says he doesn't want to see violence in the streets, but he didn't mention Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot protesters last night, went home safely by — escorted by police and was just arrested this morning. Just the contradictions are with me so significant and I think part of that is he's talking to this very small group of Americans that don't represent most of us.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Mary Bruce, the President still on the scene there greeting those who came out, along with the First Lady and the Vice President. This all sets the stage for tomorrow night. They got the pageantry they wanted tonight.
MARY BRUCE They certainly did and George, it strikes me, as we look at the images and here at Fort McHenry, we are seeing something we haven't seen much during this campaign, because of the pandemic, the candidates here interacting with supporters. Something that normally we would see multiple times a day now has become such a rarity. And tonight, I was struck by the biggest applause line here, it was when Mike Pence commented on the unrest in Kenosha, saying, promising they would restore law and order that the violence has to stop, but not once addressing the root causes, the root concerns of those protesters. Make no mistake, though, this speech was about Mike Pence going on the attack, playing that attack dog role, taking on Joe Biden, outlining the stakes in this election in very stark terms, George.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Got a thumbs up there from President Trump. A few pictures now. Almost socially distanced right there. Some more thumbs up from the crowd. Tomorrow night is his speech. The White House now telling us — the campaign now telling us that the President's speech right now, slated to go on as scheduled. Of course, we'll monitor events all day and all through the night as Hurricane Laura continues to bear down on Texas and Louisiana.
—
CBS News: 2020 America Decides: Republican Convention
August 26, 2020
11:10 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: And Vice President Mike Pence accepting his party’s nomination for a second term. The theme of the night, land of heroes, recognizing many of the military heroes in the audience and also speaking about law and order. Now what has been dubbed as a surprise for the night, President Trump and the First Lady joining the crowd on this third night of the convention. It's not clear whether President Trump will speak. But, John, you just heard the Vice President deliver a stirring address, a long speech, in which he hit about every point you could make.
JOHN DICKERSON: Yeah, yeah. He almost talked about the president's penmanship he was so complete about all the things that the President has done, a very standard, straight-up, “he's my guy” kind of a speech. There was lots in there for the fact checkers, of course, to work on. It is worth remembering again, though, these two gentlemen are in charge of the response to the coronavirus that has killed 180,000 Americans, that is the reality that will be happening on election day. This was a very solid speech from the vice president, but that reality is what is going to be adjudicated between now and election day and as far as making a case about Joe Biden not talking about the — the — umm — what's happening in the streets, strong, you know, point, but the next few days will determine how that works out in the election.
—
NBC Republican National Convention
August 26, 2020
11:10 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: Vice President Mike Pence with a live crowd there at Fort McHenry, completing his remarks, making the case for another four years of a Trump/Pence administration.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: He spoke for about 37 minutes and took on the traditional role of vice president. He went on the attack against Joe Biden on a variety of issues. And as we watch, I believe we're going to — let's see, squint my eyes, yep, that's the President and Melania Trump.
HOLT: Hail to the Chief is often the clue.
GUTHRIE: You know my eyes are actually what they used to be. My ears should serve me better, but yes. The President with a surprise visit at Fort McHenry, along Melania Trump who, of course, spoke last night.
HOLT: And we should note that Mike Pence was the head of the President's Coronavirus Task Force, although became often overshadowed by the President himself in those — in those early days, but here, the first couple about to greet the Vice President and Karen Pence.
GUTHRIE: Let's bring Chuck Todd on — on the speech. Chuck, your thoughts?
CHUCK TODD: Well, look, he's the most polished and disciplined messenger, you know, on the Trump team and for many Republicans, he's the most conservative in the administration and you saw that, I'm with you, Savannah. I thought he did play that traditional role and — and he — and he — he weaves in his Biden attacks with a sunnier way about him and so when he does it, I think there is a — there’s a toughness to it, but it lands without an edge, which can actually be quite effective if it’s, you know, somebody in the middle of the country.
