On the eve of President Biden’s first State of the Union address, Monday, the broadcast networks previewed his big speech and each took a different approach, with ABC lamenting that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “forced” Biden to change his speech and CBS touting a fence around the Capitol. NBC was the outlier that showed Biden’s new terrible poll numbers from… ABC!
“And Mary, the President and his team forced to rework parts of this speech in light of this Russian invasion,” ABC’s World News Tonight anchor David Muir huffed as he directed his question to senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce. “I'm curious what your sources are telling you tonight about how the President plans to reshape his message to the American people.”
Bruce joined in by bemoaning how, “this is going to be a very different speech than the one the President was probably envisioning, just a few weeks ago.” She then gave a preview of what Biden would say:
We are told he's going to highlight the steps he's taken to fight back against Vladimir Putin and this invasion and to support the Ukrainian people. He's also likely to tout the role the U.S. has played in really uniting the west and rallying the world to protect democratic values against this Russian aggression.
Only towards the end of the segment did Bruce note that “Biden is also facing very real challenges here at home” in the form of “inflation to rising gas prices, and trying to turn the page on this pandemic.”
Meanwhile, on CBS Evening News, anchor Norah O’Donnell had a strange chipper tone as she announced the return of the “non-scalable fences” around the Capitol in preparation for the address.
She also boasted Biden’s address came on “the first criminal trial from the insurrection got underway here in Washington.” You could hear the joy in her voice as she delivered the rest of the story:
49-year-old Guy Reffitt of Texas is charged of carrying a gun as he entered the U.S. Capitol grounds. He’s also accused of threatening his own children if they turned him in. Well, this trial could be a bell-weather for the several hundred other Capitol Riot cases that are still to come. So, we’ll watch that.
She also ignored Biden’s problems and crises
NBC Nightly News stood in stark contrast to the others as chief White House correspondent Kristen Welker called out how “a majority of Americans say the President cannot be trusted in a crisis.”
“In a new poll, only 33 percent of Americans approve of the President's handling of the Ukraine/Russia crisis. 47 percent disapprove,” she added, noting the ABC poll released on Sunday that World News Tonight completely ignored.
This griping for Biden’s speech getting changed and strange praise for fences was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Bayer on ABC and One-A-Day Vitamins on CBS. Their contact information is linked.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
February 28, 2022
6:46:00 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: And this crisis in Ukraine coming as President Biden prepares to deliver his first State of the Union address tomorrow night to the nation. I want to get right to senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce, live at the White House tonight.
And Mary, the President and his team forced to rework parts of this speech in light of this Russian invasion. I'm curious what your sources are telling you tonight about how the President plans to reshape his message to the American people.
MARY BRUCE: Well, no question, David, this is going to be a very different speech than the one the President was probably envisioning, just a few weeks ago. We are told he's going to highlight the steps he's taken to fight back against Vladimir Putin and this invasion and to support the Ukrainian people. He's also likely to tout the role the U.S. has played in really uniting the west and rallying the world to protect democratic values against this Russian aggression.
But Biden is also facing very real challenges here at home. Everything from inflation to rising gas prices, and trying to turn the page on this pandemic. Now, tonight I’m told the President is still tweaking this address, he's working with his speechwriters and policy advisers. He has been doing some run-throughs though and he’s putting on the finishing touches. David?
MUIR: We’ll see you there tomorrow Mary, thank you.
CBS Evening News
February 28, 2022
6:39:45 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: Well, tonight, we want to show you pictures of the Capitol ahead of tomorrow's State of the Union address. Non-scalable fences are back up and it comes as the first criminal trial from the insurrection got underway here in Washington. 49-year-old Guy Reffitt of Texas is charged of carrying a gun as he entered the U.S. Capitol grounds. He’s also accused of threatening his own children if they turned him in. Well, this trial could be a bell-weather for the several hundred other Capitol Riot cases that are still to come. So, we’ll watch that.
NBC Nightly News
February 28, 2022
7:12:34 p.m. Eastern(…)
KRISTEN WELKER: All of it comes on the eve of the President's first State of the Union address. In a new poll, only 33 percent of Americans approve of the President's handling of the Ukraine/Russia crisis. 47 percent disapprove. And a majority of Americans say the President cannot be trusted in a crisis.
Ukraine now another crisis in focus tomorrow night.
Is he rewriting it to have it focus on this moment?
JEN PSAKI: Every State of the Union address is an opportunity for the president delivering it to speak directly to the American people about what is happening in that moment, the progress that's being made, and also the challenges we're facing.
(…)
