On election morning, ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos was already celebrating Joe Biden’s victory on Good Morning America. While the GMA journalists blasted President Trump as a voter suppressor who would declare a premature victory, Stephanopoulos didn’t mind Biden pretending he had won, too early.
In fact he touted the Democrat candidate “acting as President, right away” as votes were still being counted, with former Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel praised Biden acting like the winner as the “smart thing to do” that would send a “reassuring message” to Americans. No pushback from Stephanopoulos for Democrats eager to declare victory:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: One more quick comment from each of you. Rahm Emanuel, you've been part of two presidential transitions for both President Clinton and President Obama. It seems pretty clear if the Biden campaign believes they're on a path toward victory even if it will take some time he’s going to start acting as president right away.
RAHM EMANUEL: Yeah, I think that the smart thing to do would be hit the button on the transition green and get it moving and indicate that you're going to basically start the apparatus of moving towards a government. Not only are you going to need it because you don't have a day to waste and it also it sends a reassuring message this is President-Elect and peaceful.
Even Republican analyst Chris Christie had to call out Stephanopoulos's double standard. "[A]ll this discussion of this is premature. I've heard nothing from the media and from others except count every vote and make sure the votes get counted. Let's make sure we count the votes to see who won first before we start to talk about transition," he scolded.
That didn't stop the former Clinton lackey from bragging Biden was following his former boss’s election lead and should be celebrating: “The last time a candidate had a national lead like this going into an election day was Bill Clinton in 1996. Had about an eight-point lead. Does the mood inside the Biden campaign reflect that?”
Biden apologist Mary Bruce said the campaign was “cautiously optimistic” but the real “concern” was Trump cheating:
MARY BRUCE: Their top concern this morning, though, I think is that President Trump may come out and prematurely declare victory. The Biden campaign cautioning this fight won't be over just because the president may say it is, George.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Right. The winner is determined by the voters, not the president.
That certainly wasn't the first or last dig against President Trump from the ABC journalists. White House correspondent Cecilia Vega complained Trump was sowing fear with conspiracies because of the threat of left-wing violence (click expand):
ROBIN ROBERTS: We bring in Cecilia Vega who is at the White House and, Cecilia, we just heard in Mary's piece there about the tweet from President Trump claiming there could be violence in the streets in Pennsylvania. What does this is say about the mood inside the Trump campaign?
CECILIA VEGA: Yeah, Robin, it tells you that the president is relying on using fear right now to sow doubt about this election as we head into election day. Now, listen to what sources are telling us they're saying the campaign is particularly worried about what they're seeing, that tight race in Pennsylvania and potentially gearing up for what could be some kind of late night legal fight if it isn't as being as close as it looks like it's going to be. Behind the scenes hearing from sources that the president is becoming increasingly talking more and more about these conspiracy theories about fraud and the election being stolen from him. Of course, there is no evidence of that at all.
In other reports, journalists warned the president was "raising fear of voter intimidation," and "trying to sow doubt about this election" because of voter fraud. Mary Bruce touted Biden attacking Trump as trying to suppress votes:
BRUCE: Twitter later restricting the President's tweet about the court’s decision warning he could be instigating violence. Biden saying Trump can't stop every vote from being counted.
BIDEN: I don't care how much Donald Trump tries, there's nothing, nothing he's going to do to stop the people in this nation from voting.
And if all their digs against the president weren't enough evidence of their left-wing bias, George Stephanopoulos gave this grave warning to viewers straight from the Democrat party about the future of our "democracy" being at stake: "We hope you are doing well on this decisive day for the future of our democracy. The final day of voting and the most consequential election of your lives."
Good Morning America's biased reporting was paid for by advertisers Bath Fitter and Mr. Clean whom you can contact by following the links provided.
Read transcript excerpts below:
Good Morning America
11/3/2020
7:00AM EST Hour
STEPHANOPOULOS: We hope you are doing well on this decisive day for the future of our democracy. The final day of voting and the most consequential election of your lives.
....
STEPHANOPOULOS: The last time a candidate had a national lead like this going into an election day was Bill Clinton in 1996. Had about an eight-point lead. Does the mood inside the Biden campaign reflect that?
MARY BRUCE:: It really doesn't, George. I have to tell you, they are very truly cautiously optimistic about these polls but they do see several paths to 270 that are encouraging for them and they say that based on their data the president would have to outperform in several states that he won in 2016 in order to win this. Their top concern this morning, though, I think is that president trump may come out and prematurely declare victory. The Biden campaign cautioning this fight won't be over just because the president may say it is, George.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Right. The winner is determined by the voters, not the president. Mary Bruce, thanks very much.
ROBIN ROBERTS: We bring in Cecilia Vega who is at the White House and, Cecilia, we just heard in Mary's piece there about the tweet from President Trump claiming there could be violence in the streets in Pennsylvania. What does this is say about the mood inside the Trump campaign?
CECILIA VEGA: Yeah, Robin, it tells you that the president is relying on using fear right now to sow doubt about this election as we head into election day. Now, listen to what sources are telling us they're saying the campaign is particularly worried about what they're seeing, that tight race in Pennsylvania and potentially gearing up for what could be some kind of late night legal fight if it isn't as being as close as it looks like it's going to be. Behind the scenes hearing from sources that the president is becoming increasingly talking more and more about these conspiracy theories about fraud and the election being stolen from him. Of course, there is no evidence of that at all.
...
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: One more quick comment from each of you. Rahm Emanuel, you've been part of two presidential transitions for both President Clinton and President Obama. It seems pretty clear if the Biden campaign believes they're on a path toward victory even if it will take some time he’s going to start acting as president right away.
RAHM EMANUEL: Yeah, I think that the smart thing to do would be hit the button on the transition green and get it moving and indicate that you're going to basically start the apparatus of moving towards a government. Not only are you going to need it because you don't have a day to waste and it also it sends a reassuring message this is President-Elect and peaceful.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Chris Christie, you've been part of President Trump's transition last time around. How do you see things playing out after tonight?
CHRIS CHRISTIE: Listen, I think after tonight if the president's re-elected, he'll get to moving on to a new cabinet for the second term. But I will tell you this, all this discussion of this is premature. I've heard nothing from the media and from others except count every vote and make sure the votes get counted. Let's make sure we count the votes to see who won first before we start to talk about transition.
....8:00 am HOUR:
MARY BRUCE: ...[W]ith a narrow path to victory ahead of him Trump's focus on the electoral system falsely claiming the election could be stolen from him. Trump furious that the Supreme Court ruled Pennsylvania ballots postmarked by November 3rd can be accepted for up to three days after the election.
TRUMP: I think it's a very, very dangerous decision.
BRUCE: Twitter later restricting the president's tweet about the court’s decision warning he could be instigating violence. Biden saying Trump can't stop every vote from being counted.
BIDEN: I don't care how much Donald Trump tries, there's nothing, nothing he's going to do to stop the people in this nation from voting.
....
VEGA: [Y]ou mentioned that massive event tonight. The White House invited 400 people here for an event that will take place indoors and supporters are going to come to watch the returns come in at the White House. They wanted to do this, the administration at the president's hotel nearby in Washington but the D.C. local government said that violated covid rules so they'll do it here at the White House and so Michael of course, you'll remember another big event they had at the White House fairly recently turned into that super spreader event.
MICHAEL STRAHAN: Alright Cecilia. Almost like the rules don't matter when you're at the White House, I guess it seems.
