President Donald Trump assumed he was going to be participating in a town hall on NBC on Thursday night, moderated by “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Au contraire. Not even close.
What Trump did experience was a full-blown debate with Guthrie, who went after him like a jacked-up puppy nipping at his ankles as if he had smeared bacon grease on his legs prior to walking onto the set.
So, how bad was it?
As noted by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, pollster Frank Luntz, and others, Guthrie went after Trump for the first third of the event — before soliciting a single question from the audience.
A third of the way into the NBC town hall and NO questions from the PEOPLE!!!
— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) October 16, 2020
How long will NBC go before giving an actual voter the chance to ask a question?
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) October 16, 2020
You notice on Biden’s Town Hall, it was JUST the audience asking q’s and let him go on for miles to answer. On Trump’s Town Hall, Savannah asked all but the last few minutes of questions.
— Zen Frog (@zenfrog13) October 16, 2020
Trump went from debating Biden to Guthrie! Not sure whether this is good or bad yet … but he's definitely debating tonight.
— Scott Jennings + (@ScottJenningsKY) October 16, 2020
As Fox News reported, Guthrie spent most of the first 20 minutes grilling Trump on masks and White supremacy. At one point, Trump asked Guthrie if Biden was grilled about condemning Antifa during his NBC town hall with Lester Holt. [Cue: crickets.]
That didn’t sit well with many observers.
As the “town hall” continued, Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavedra noted that, surprisingly, the questions from the audience were “actually pretty good and fair” — but that Guthrie had been “awful.”
The questions from the NBC audience are actually pretty good and fair–so far–and it’s only been Savannah Guthrie that has been awful
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) October 16, 2020
Below are a couple of examples of Guthrie’s “awful” performance.
The first one is about whether Trump’s position on masks has changed since he tested positive for COVID-19; the second about whether he was tested for the virus on the day of his first (and still only) debate with Biden. Both are about Guthrie’s aggressive interruptions.
See what I mean? Ankle-biter? Nipping at bacon grease-rubbed legs?
Grabien Media founder Tom Elliot posted a supercut of Guthrie continually interrupting Trump — usually mid-sentence.
SUPERCUT!@SavannahGuthrie repeatedly cuts off @realDonaldTrump in ‘town hall’ pic.twitter.com/5aP3Nh9ryK
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 16, 2020
Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh called out the contrast between Trump’s townhall on NBC and Biden’s treatment by George Stephanopoulos during the ABC town hall.
These two town halls capture perfectly the difference in media treatment, Trump vs. Biden.
ABC is doing everything they can to keep Joe Biden comfortable.
Meanwhile, Savannah Guthrie is attacking the President like she openly hates him.
Couldn’t be encapsulated better.
— Tim Murtaugh – Download the Trump 2020 app today! (@TimMurtaugh) October 16, 2020
Murtaugh later skewered Trump’s “debate opponent” in a scathing rebuke, again pointing to the glaring disparity between Guthrie and Stephanopoulos.
“Even though the commission canceled the in-person debate that could have happened tonight, one occurred anyway, and President Trump soundly defeated NBC’s Savannah Guthrie in her role as debate opponent and Joe Biden surrogate…
“President Trump masterfully handled Guthrie’s attacks and interacted warmly and effectively with the voters in the room.
“Over on ABC it was a completely different scene, as once again Biden was kept comfortable and away from any questions that might challenge him…”
Statement from Trump campaign’s @TimMurtaugh:
“Even though the commission canceled the in-person debate that could have happened tonight, one occurred anyway, and President Trump soundly defeated NBC’s Savannah Guthrie in her role as debate opponent and Joe Biden surrogate…
— Trump War Room – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) October 16, 2020
“President Trump masterfully handled Guthrie’s attacks and interacted warmly and effectively with the voters in the room.
“Over on ABC it was a completely different scene, as once again Biden was kept comfortable and away from any questions that might challenge him…
— Trump War Room – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) October 16, 2020
Luntz, who has been both praised and criticized for his focus groups, told CNBC after the “town hall” that his focus group — by a margin of 14-2 majority — disapproved of Guthrie’s treatment of Trump.
“They felt that the way Savannah Guthrie handled Donald Trump brought out the worst in him — that she shouldn’t have done it. This was billed as a town hall.
“With about 20 minutes into it, I took a photograph of the screen, and it says ‘NBC Town Hall.’ Not a single, average voter had asked a question in the first 20 minutes. That’s hardly a town hall.”
On CNBC, pollster Frank Luntz says his focus group disliked how Savannah Guthrie handled her “town hall” with Trump, with no actual voter allowed to ask a question for first 20 minutes pic.twitter.com/0m8fx0SF4k
— Rich Noyes (@RichNoyes) October 16, 2020
Finally, Fox News’s “The Five” co-host Greg Gutfeld tweeted a running commentary throughout the debate — that is until he’d seen enough.
guthrie isn’t even listening to him. and she just needs to get thru her list. and she’s embarrassing herself.
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) October 16, 2020
guthrie pretends she has questions – so many questions she says! – but she just chases the same narratives that her producers handed to her.
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) October 16, 2020
NBC is embarrassing itself. worse than expected. Guthrie is like a poorly disguised ambush. even she follows up with planned questions after the “townhall” question. what a horrible show trial
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) October 16, 2020
fact: these townhalls are BS. I expected something better from Guthrie, but she’s just another irrational hack. off to watch tucker.
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) October 16, 2020
The bottom line?
Given the amount of flak NBC received after announcing it would host a Trump town hall opposite Biden’s ABC town hall — mostly from fellow “mainstream” media colleagues, that is — no doubt Peacock brass, and perhaps even Guthrie herself thought the whole thing through before the ankle-biter and Trump even walked onto the set.
Nah, to paraphrase Hillary, what difference would it have made if NBC hosted the Trump town hall on a different night than the Biden schmoozefest on ABC?
Speaking of which, the only tough question Biden was asked all night came from a young Black man — and it was perfect. As to be expected, Biden’s answer was far from it.
Biden Grilled by Young Black Man Over ‘You Ain’t Black’ Blast: His Answer Was Typical Biden
Also, check out my related article from yesterday for an example of the hysteria on display in the liberal media heading into last night’s joke of a town hall. Spoiler: CNN anchor Don Lemon was among the more histrionic of the lot.
Don Lemon ‘Outraged’ at NBC for ‘Rewarding’ Trump With Town Hall Opposite ABC’s Biden Event
Given the way the evening went down, you ‘spose Donnie and his colleagues were still upset after it was over? Me, neither.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member