Appearing on MSNBC Live With Craig Melvin Friday morning, NBC News National Security Analyst and former Obama administration official Ned Price didn’t hesitate to blame President Trump for the horrific terrorist attacks on two mosques in New Zealand. The supposed expert declared that Trump provided “plenty of rhetorical ammunition” to the white supremacist shooter.
Reading from the attacker’s manifesto, Melvin highlighted: “The question was, ‘Were or are you a supporter of Donald Trump?’ And, Ned, the shooter’s apparent response here, ‘As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure. As a policy maker and leader? Dear god, no.’” The anchor then asked Price for his reaction to “this particular excerpt” of the rambling hate-filled document.
Price wasted no time blasting the President:
Well, Craig, in some ways, it’s really not surprising. People like this, the perpetrators of a terrorist attack like this, they often look for code. They look for clues....And I think the tragic reality is that President Trump, whether intentionally or I think in a lot of cases even inadvertently, has provided a lot of fodder for people like this.
Citing Trump’s response to Charlottesville as evidence, among other instances, Price further proclaimed: “This is a president who has given plenty of rhetorical ammunition, I think, to terrorists like this. Terrorists and extremists who are looking for fuel for their motivation.”
There was not one word of challenge or push-back from Melvin. Ironically, the host then turned to White House correspondent Geoff Bennett, who informed viewers of numerous statements put out by the administration strongly condemning the violence.
Earlier Friday morning, both CBS and CNN had already tried to connect Trump to the terrorism.
Here is a transcript of the March 15 exchange on MSNBC:
11:06 AM ET
(...)
CRAIG MELVIN: Ned, I want to go back to this apparent manifesto, if you will, this sprawling cornucopia of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, white supremacist nonsense. And first, that quote that we just put up a few moments ago, and again, we should point out we’re just starting to sift through this thing. I think we can put it back up on the screen and I’ll read it for our viewers on Sirius satellite radio. The question was, “Were or are you a supporter of Donald Trump?” And, Ned, the shooter’s apparent response here, “As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure. As a policy maker and leader? Dear god, no.” Ned, first of all, just what do you make of this particular excerpt?
NED PRICE [NBC NEWS NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST]: Well, Craig, in some ways, it’s really not surprising. People like this, the perpetrators of a terrorist attack like this, they often look for code. They look for clues. Sometimes those clues and code are a figment of their imagination and sometimes they’re not.
And I think the tragic reality is that President Trump, whether intentionally or I think in a lot of cases even inadvertently, has provided a lot of fodder for people like this. This was the same president who praised “good people on both sides” in the aftermath of Charlottesville. This was the same president who ironically told an apocryphal story about 49 Muslims being killed with bullets dipped in pig’s blood and the 50th being sent to tell the rest of his counterparts of what had been perpetrated.
So this is a president who has given plenty of rhetorical ammunition, I think, to terrorists like this. Terrorists and extremists who are looking for fuel for their motivation. This is not a leader who has spoken with clarity and alacrity the way in which the Prime Minister of New Zealand said today. She said very clearly, “You may have chosen us, but we utterly reject and condemn you.” That’s is not the sort of language, unfortunately, we’ve heard from our own leaders.
(...)
