Chuck Todd is unraveling before the eyes of the nation. The Meet the Press host on Friday reacted to the overturning of Roe v. Wade by comparing it to the ongoing “shattering” of democracy in America and ominously warned conservative politicians about the “tinder box” they have created. He also lashed out at Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, calling their appointments “unfair” and “out of bounds.”
Getting emotional, he lamented, “Just take a step back and think about the consequential actions of this week. The two Supreme Court rulings that undid — one law 110 years old. This one is 50 years old. You have what former President Trump attempted to do to democracy.”
An almost unsteady Todd continued:
Throw in what the divisiveness that Donald Trump has created in the immigration debate. You really can't help but look back at 2016. That election and the entrance of Donald Trump and his politics. He shattered a lot of stability we had in American society. He has been the lynchpin of shattering stability on reproductive rights, stability on immigration, stability in some ways obviously on the democracy.
The NBC journalist then lectured those on the right for what they have long fought for, the end of Roe:
Look, I'm very concerned about the fall out from all of what we've seen this week. A former President could be put on trial. This is — we're a tinder box now. I think our elected leaders, particularly on the right, are putting blinders on and not fully appreciating what's been unleashed on our society.
Chuck Todd might want to check his own blinders. Earlier in the breaking news, he lashed out at Gorsuch and Barrett as illegitimate. Sounding like some far-left internet commenter, the anchor attacked:
I mean, remember, you could argue that two of the three appointees that Donald Trump had were sort of done out of bounds, right? The first one was a vacancy that occurred basically with nearly a year left on Barack Obama's term. And then, you know, whatever precedent Mitch McConnell came up with to somehow say that couldn't be filled until after the presidential election, he didn't believe it, when Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, essentially a month before the 2020 election. So, you know, I think there's a lot of folks who feel as if Gorsuch and Barrett, two of the five on this opinion, were sort of there unfairly or sort of out of bounds.
Shortly after the decision was announced, Todd trashed the Court as “rigged.”
Chuck Todd: Meet the Press host or DNC operative? You decide.
Partial transcripts are below:
NBC Breaking News
06/24/2022
11:56LESTER HOLT: And Chuck, if you're with us here, we don't lose sight of the fact that this was a court that was shaped in tremendous ways by Donald Trump.
CHUCK TODD: Oh, and Mitch McConnell. I mean, remember, you could argue that two of the three appointees that Donald Trump had were sort of done out of bounds, right? The first one was a vacancy that occurred basically with nearly a year left on Barack Obama's term. And then, you know, whatever precedent Mitch McConnell came up with to somehow say that couldn't be filled until after the presidential election, he didn't believe it, when Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, essentially a month before the 2020 election. So, you know, I think there's a lot of folks who feel as if Gorsuch and Barrett, two of the five on this opinion, were sort of there unfairly or sort of out of bounds.
Now, it technically was done within the bounds of the Constitution. But was it ethical, how it was done? And I think that that's what's going to — why there is I think such anger, more anger than normal. But I'll tell you, it is Donald Trump's legacy. I find his discomfort with his legacy on this to be fascinating. He really is sort of new to this. He's been on both sides of this issue. When he was a politician, when he tried to enter the political arena in the late '90s, early 2000s, he talked about how pro-choice he was, then all of a sudden he had to adopt this pro-life political language, he wasn't very good at it, there was a famous change he had with our former colleague Chris Matthews were he started talking about, “okay, if you're going to criminalize it,” and he said, you know, “you may have to charge the woman who has the abortion,” And of course he ends up having to walk that back. But it was a reminder that he's just unfamiliar, he never was really deeply informed or passionate on the life side of things. And that reaction, that sort of word salad reaction he had on all this I think tells you he's likely very uncomfortable with this. But doesn't know how to communicate it. You and I both know Donald Trump very well. There's a part of me — the fact that he's not spiking the football, "I'm the one who overturned Roe," tells you how uncomfortable he is, because he likes to spike the football and take a lot of credit for things.
1:01CHUCK TODD: Just take a step back and think about the consequential actions of this week. The two Supreme Court rulings that undid — one law 110 years old. This one is 50 years old. You have what former President Trump attempted to do to democracy. We learned that in chilling detail the last couple weeks. Yesterday in particular arguably two hours away from a massive constitutional crisis. Throw in what the divisiveness that Donald Trump has created in the immigration debate. You really can't help but look back at 2016. That election and the entrance of Donald Trump and his politics. He shattered a lot of stability we had in American society. He has been the lynchpin of shattering stability on reproductive rights, stability on immigration, stability in some ways obviously on the democracy.
We're in a rough place as a country and society. We're not just polarized. We're divided in ways that feels so fundamental you're not sure how to bring each other back. We are divided in our information silos. Look, I'm very concerned about the fall out from all of what we've seen this week. A former President could be put on trial. This is — we're a tinder box now. I think our elected leaders, particularly on the right, are putting blinders on and not fully appreciating what's been unleashed on our society.
