Previewing President Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday morning, the broadcast networks were giddy with anticipation at the prospect of the Republican chief executive facing a “sea of opponents” in the new Democratic House majority. Anchors and correspondents were particularly eager to watch Speaker Nancy Pelosi “over his shoulder,” reacting negatively to the speech “in real time.”
At the top of ABC’s Good Morning America, co-host George Stephanopoulos offered this hostile framing of the coming address: “The State of the Union just hours away. President Trump preparing to take center stage as his approval rating hits historic lows, facing a Democratic House for the first time and a nation still shaken by the shutdown.”
Minutes later, Chief White House Correspondent Jon Karl piled on: “The President coming after this brutal government shutdown, really you couldn’t imagine a worse start that the President has had with this new Democratic Congress, shutting down the government over his immigration wall.”
Turning to Senior Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce, Stephanopoulos gleefully touted: “And Mary, we’ll be able to see the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reaction in real time, right over the President’s shoulder.” Bruce proclaimed:
Yeah, George, the power struggle between these two will be on full display here. The Speaker, everyone watching that image of her just over the President’s shoulder throughout this entire speech. As Jon references, this is a very different crowd for the President. For the first time speaking before a divided Congress and a sea of opponents. It means while you’re still likely to see plenty of applause, the President should be bracing for a fair amount of stoney silence from Democrats as well.
The reporter then gushed over the chance to observe Democratic “rising stars” in the House chamber: “He will be speaking to several Democratic members who have already announced they’re looking to replace him in 2020, as well as a new generation of Democrats....we’ll be closely watching to see how those new rising stars in the party are reacting to their first State of the Union as well.”
As she concluded her report, Bruce listed all of the politically-motivated guests that Democrats had invited to the event, while ignoring any of the people the President planned to highlight in his speech.
On Monday’s GMA, correspondent Terry Moran could barely contain his excitement as he and Stephanopoulos discussed the optics of Pelosi sitting behind Trump throughout the State of the Union: “It’s a brand-new ball game. Just the image, Nancy Pelosi, who bested him in the showdown, now commanding a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.”
“Tonight the White House says President Trump will be delivering a unifying and optimistic message. But for the first time, he’ll be facing a chamber that is not fully controlled by Republicans and one that may one day try to impeach him,” correspondent Peter Alexander ominously declared on NBC’s Today show. He added, “Here many aren’t buying the President’s bid for bipartisanship.”
Following Alexander’s report, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd echoed that skepticism after co-host Hoda Kotb noted that “the word is, is that the President’s gonna strike some kind of unifying tone.” Todd replied: “Sure, go for it. I don’t know if it’s going to be a credible thing to do though....people might actually snicker if he actually makes a plea for unity, because he’s the wrong person to call for it.”
Co-host Savannah Guthrie hailed “a whole new day in Washington” as she described how Pelosi would preside over the evening sitting behind the President. Todd was already fawning over the imagery:
Well, we can thank, I guess, the metaphor gods for that. I mean, she literally – not only does [sic] the Democrats hover over his presidency, hover over his future, there she is standing behind his shoulder the entire time, this constant reminder, frankly, for the viewer, that, hey, there’s a new day in Washington.
He particularly hoped that Democrats would take their cues from her as they gave Trump a sour reception: “...she is going to decide when Democrats should clap at the President and when Democrats shouldn’t....So even when he’s throwing out a bipartisan attempt, applause line, if she’s not applauding, my guess is, most of the Democrats won’t applaud either.”
Like her ABC and NBC colleagues, on CBS This Morning, co-host Norah O’Donnell hyped the visual: “These are about substance, but it’s also, many are judged sort of by the style with which this whole thing is carried out. And something’s gonna look different this year, a woman will be seated right behind the President, Nancy Pelosi.”
Capitol Hill Correspondent Nancy Cordes agreed:
That’s right, a symbol of divided government. This is gonna be the President’s first State of the Union before a House led by Democrats. There are going to be a lot more Democrats out there in the audience than there were when he gave this speech a year ago. So a lot more people sitting on their hands.
She also reminded viewers that “the rest of the week, Democrats are devoting to launching a host of investigations into him, into his administration. They’re gonna be looking at his tax returns, looking at the child separation policy, other controversies.” Cordes concluded: “So, yes, there will be some glad-handing tonight and, you know, people showing their respect, but it’s not gonna last very long.”
As Media Research Center Deputy Research Director Geoff Dickens compiled, Barack Obama’s State of the Union addresses were consistently greeted with adoration by the media throughout his eight years in office. In sharp contrast, even before Trump has uttered a single word, the liberal press are already rooting for Democrats to “snicker” and spend the speech “sitting on their hands.”
Here are excerpts of the February 5 coverage on ABC’s GMA:
7:00 AM ET TEASE
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: The State of the Union just hours away. President Trump preparing to take center stage as his approval rating hits historic lows, facing a Democratic House for the first time and a nation still shaken by the shutdown.
(...)
7:02 AM ET
STEPHANOPOULOS: It is a big day in Washington. Let’s take a live look at the Capitol right now, where President Trump’s going to deliver his State of the Union tonight. It’s a week later than planned, thanks to that government shutdown, and the President has his job cut out for him. The House now led by a Democratic Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and Trump’s approval rating just 37%, the lowest for any president two years into his term.
(...)
7:04 AM ET
STEPHANOPOULOS: This as the President prepares to deliver his State of the Union address tonight. His first time to a House chamber controlled by Democrats. Our Chief White House Correspondent Jon Karl, Senior Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce covering this from both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. Jon, let’s start with what we know about the President’s speech. Aides say he’s been working hard on a message of unity?
JON KARL: Yes, they say that the big theme of this speech will be unity. The President coming after this brutal government shutdown, really you couldn’t imagine a worse start that the President has had with this new Democratic Congress, shutting down the government over his immigration wall.
(...)
STEPHANOPOULOS: And Mary, we’ll be able to see the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reaction in real time, right over the President’s shoulder.
MARY BRUCE: Yeah, George, the power struggle between these two will be on full display here. The Speaker, everyone watching that image of her just over the President’s shoulder throughout this entire speech. As Jon references, this is a very different crowd for the President. For the first time speaking before a divided Congress and a sea of opponents. It means while you’re still likely to see plenty of applause, the President should be bracing for a fair amount of stoney silence from Democrats as well. He will be speaking to several Democratic members who have already announced they’re looking to replace him in 2020, as well as a new generation of Democrats. George, we’ll be closely watching to see how those new rising stars in the party are reacting to their first State of the Union as well.
(...)
Here are excerpts of the February 5 coverage on NBC’s Today show:
7:03 AM ET
(...)
PETER ALEXANDER: Tonight the White House says President Trump will be delivering a unifying and optimistic message. But for the first time, he’ll be facing a chamber that is not fully controlled by Republicans and one that may one day try to impeach him. Here many aren’t buying the President’s bid for bipartisanship.
(...)
ALEXANDER: But the President will be addressing a skeptical chamber, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who will be seated right behind him. Democrats are emboldened after gains in the midterm elections and the recent shutdown, where the President backed down.
(...)
7:05 AM ET
HODA KOTB: Chuck, the word is, is that the President’s gonna strike some kind of unifying tone. What’s your take? What do you think?
CHUCK TODD: Sure, go for it. I don’t know if it’s going to be a credible thing to do though. I mean, I think he’s trying to – I think he looks at the State of the Union, he himself, and thinks it’s this ornate – “It’s an ornamental thing of the presidency, and therefore, I’m supposed to sound unifying.” But it won't matter, the next day a tweet comes out. So I think that’s a waste of his time.
If he uses his speech to start previewing themes for 2020, if he uses his speech to be realistic and say, “Look, it’s divided government. You guys campaigned on health care and infrastructure, I’ve campaigned on immigration, let’s work on these three issues.” And if he makes his speech that, and more of a workmanlike speech, he can do something like that.
But that isn’t what he’s gonna do. And people might actually snicker if he actually makes a plea for unity, because he’s the wrong person to call for it.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: We were just talking, it’s a whole new day in Washington, and nowhere will that be more apparent than when Nancy Pelosi is now the House Speaker, we are in an era of divided government. In the well of this area, you’re going to see people who are running to be the Democratic nominee. How does that factor into this particular State of the Union? Before, he had all the levers of government?
TODD: Well, we can thank, I guess, the metaphor gods for that. I mean, she literally – not only does [sic] the Democrats hover over his presidency, hover over his future, there she is standing behind his shoulder the entire time, this constant reminder, frankly, for the viewer, that, hey, there’s a new day in Washington. And so, what I’m going to be curious about, there’s a – she is sort of like the old Roman senate and she is going to decide when Democrats should clap at the President and when Democrats shouldn’t. Because she will be the sort of – the tone setter there. So even when he’s throwing out a bipartisan attempt, applause line, if she’s not applauding, my guess is, most of the Democrats won’t applaud either.
GUTHRIE: Well, there’s always a lot of theater, as you say, ceremony.
TODD: More theater this time than normal, I think.
(...)
Here is a transcript of the February 5 exchange on CBS This Morning:
8:06 AM ET
(...)
NORAH O’DONNELL: Nancy Cordes is inside the U.S. Capitol where the President is set to deliver tonight’s speech. Nancy, good morning. These are about substance, but it’s also, many are judged sort of by the style with which this whole thing is carried out. And something’s gonna look different this year, a woman will be seated right behind the President, Nancy Pelosi. Tell us what you’re expecting tonight.
NANCY CORDES: That’s right, a symbol of divided government. This is gonna be the President’s first State of the Union before a House led by Democrats. There are going to be a lot more Democrats out there in the audience than there were when he gave this speech a year ago. So a lot more people sitting on their hands. And he says that he’s going to strike a note of unity tonight. And for all of the pomp and circumstance, he knows that the rest of the week, Democrats are devoting to launching a host of investigations into him, into his administration. They’re gonna be looking at his tax returns, looking at the child separation policy, other controversies. So, yes, there will be some glad-handing tonight and, you know, people showing their respect, but it’s not gonna last very long.
(...)
