Ya gotta love this.
So last week was CPAC. Thousands of conservatives gathering in Maryland’s National Harbor for the usual presentations by notable conservatives in fields ranging from foreign policy to economics to social issues.
And, as usual in the last several years, the conference closed out with an appearance from former President Donald Trump.
Having been an attendee at these events since they began in the 1970’s, then featuring former California Governor Ronal Reagan, I love them. But this year there was one notable, decidedly self-induced boo-boo coming from outside observers - of all people NBC’s Late Night host Seth Meyers and, yes, President Joe Biden.
No, the far-left NBC host has not had a Road-to-Damascus conversion bringing him to conservatism. No, this involved his coverage of former President Trump and something Trump said in his speech.
The moment was set up by no less than Meyers guest President Joe Biden. Biden was scolding Trump as per usual, but made the mistake, when discussing Trump’s age, of saying this:
You got to take a look at the other guy. He’s about as old as I am, but he can’t remember his wife’s name.
Say what? Biden said Trump can’t remember wife Melania’s name? Really?
Um, no. But as if that weren’t bad enough, Meyers picked up on Biden’s remark. To its credit, New York Magazine caught the Meyers/Biden goof, headlining:
Biden Wrongly Roasts Trump for Forgetting Melania’s Name
New York mag wrote the facts- correctly - this way:
Biden was referring to a moment during Trump’s CPAC speech on Saturday when he reacted to the crowd clapping for his wife, Melania, by saying, Wow, Mercedes, that’s pretty good!'
Seth Meyers played the clip during his monologue (at the 45 second below). “I’m sorry, Mercedes?!” the host said. “You had a nuclear meltdown when Biden messed up the president of Egypt and you can’t remember your wife’s name? Guys, I hate to say it: His mind is slipping. I think he’s too old to run.
Um. No.
New York went on to explain the factual, non-fake news. The New York story reported:
Obviously, Meyers and Biden were making jokes, not delivering a news report or a press conference. But it was still weird to focus so much on Trump forgetting his wife’s name since it’s not true.
On Saturday, X users accused Trump of calling Melania ‘Mercedes,’ and that story was picked up by a few news outlets. But within hours it was clear that Trump was actually talking to Mercedes Schlapp, his former White House adviser, who was in the audience. Her husband, Matt Schlapp, leads the American Conservative Union, which runs CPAC, and Trump addressed both of the Schlapps at another point in the speech.
Oops! Mercedes Schlapp is also a Newsmax contributor, frequently appearing on network shows, sometimes solo and sometimes with husband and CPAC chair Matt Schlapp. (And full disclosure, I am also a Newsmax contributor.)
The point here is simple enough. Seth Meyers is the host of NBC’s late night show. If he is spreading what leftists in the media call “misinformation” on a remark made in his presence by the President of the United States? Then what other misinformation is spewing forth from a premiere NBC show? Misinformation that no one bothers to correct?
Not to mention that in terms of Biden himself this goof-up is, sadly, yet another in an increasingly longer list of incidents like this one, as headlined in The New York Post:
‘Where’s Jackie?’: Biden asks dead Indiana rep to identify herself in crowd
Following that goof, ABC reported this from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the subject, bold print for emphasis supplied:
She didn't say Biden misspoke, and she downplayed it overall: 'That is not an unusual scenario there.'
That might be part of the problem, though. Biden has called himself a 'gaffe machine' and his verbal miscues long predate his time as president, but the accumulation of odd moments and statements forcing White House clean-up has made its way into mainstream discussions of the midterms and what comes next.
The point here is quite simple. Biden was sent out to sit next to the host of a major comedy show, and clearly was prepped ahead of time to say, when the subject of his age arose, that:
You got to take a look at the other guy. He’s about as old as I am, but he can’t remember his wife’s name.
This was clearly not true.
Which in turn means one of two things. Either Biden picked up this idea from somewhere in the media as given to him by his staff, a staff that never bothered to check the actual fact. Or, secondly, he knew it on his own and knew it was false but said it anyway. Doubtful, I would suggest. Most likely it was fed to him by his staff. Which should have known better - or did know better and sent him out there anyway.
This moment also highlights that those two possibilities apply to Seth Meyers himself. And whether Meyers does this kind of thing out of ignorance -- my guess -- or to deliberately spread false stories about Trump or any other conservative in his crosshairs, neither is a good look.
Welcome to the liberal media bubble.
