All Negative, All the Time on ABC: ‘GMA’ Opens With Half-Hour of Trump Hate

Anytime NewsBusters takes on the broadcast networks and their lead morning shows, ABC’s Good Morning America is almost certainly brought up first because of its virulent hatred for President Trump, his allies in Congress, and/or anyone who has an agenda or set of views that run counter to the Disney-owned network’s corporate liberalism. That was the case Tuesday as eight of the first 11 stories were explicit or implicit attacks with the midterms approaching.

It began with former Clinton official George Stephanopoulos and chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce touting the Supreme Court thwarting President Trump’s attempt to institute a national standard regarding mail-in voting.

Stephanopoulos seemed to dig the Court for taking too long, huffing they moved “just seven weeks until the final midterm votes.” Bruce — the Biden regime’s lead TV apple polisher — giddily promoted the “major blow” for Trump, but still found a way to complain because of the “flurry of last-minute legal activity, with voting now already underway in some areas.”

She touted the loss as significant, but still found a way to whine that Trump “has long argued without evidence that mail-in voting leads to widespread fraud.”

Speaking of without evidence, Bruce fit that bill when she claimed, “this fight has likely succeeded in sowing confusion about the system, as the President has cast doubt on the integrity of elections ahead of the midterms.” She closed by throwing in the dig that Trump has recently voted by mail in Florida.

GMA seems to encourage its co-hosts to be partisan tools, so they allow post-story digs like the one co-host Michael Strahan leveled: “Ah, yes, he has! Quite frequently.”

Strahan pivoted to the next story: “President Trump also dismissed the concerns about the dangers of AI getting out of control is ‘a hoax.’ Elizabeth Schulze is on Capitol Hill with the latest. Elizabeth, more AI executives and some lawmakers are urging guardrails on the technology.”

Schulze took the sudden-but-clearly-coordinated push by major AI companies and ran:

And this is really a stark contrast. The biggest companies building AI and some lawmakers here on Capitol Hill are saying that AI could pose an existential threat to humanity if it does not slow down. But President Trump says it’s all a hoax. This morning, President Trump, casting aside ominous warnings from top tech CEOs that AI is growing too powerful, too fast.

There wasn’t a concerted pushback or presentation of an opposing view like CBS offered, or on CNN, where our friend Noah Rothman said on CNN NewsNight that “anybody who says, stop me before I kill again, is not making a good-faith argument,” and instead “emotional and moral blackmail.”

Like a good liberal, Schulze pointed to former President Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as two people demanding stringent regulations.

Following reports on weather and a Florida drill rig collapse, Stephanopoulos had the third negative story, which was that “a Russian oligarch with ties to Vladimir Putin [paying] hundreds of thousands of dollars to help finance Donald Trump Jr.’s recent wedding celebration in the Bahamas, raising counterintelligence concerns.”

Chief Washington correspondent and four-time anti-Trump author Jonathan Karl had that report. Here was how he opened and closed it (click “expand”):

Donald Trump Jr. says the elaborate, two-day wedding party was merely a gift from a close friend. But the Russian oligarch who paid for it is raising questions about what he might expect in return. After ProPublica broke the story, Donald Trump Jr. has confirmed that his elaborate wedding party that was spread out over two private islands in the Bahamas was paid for by a wealthy Russian businessman with close ties to Vladimir Putin. The President’s son had described his wedding as a low-key affair on his podcast.

(....)

In a statement put out by the White House, President Trump said he has no idea who Umar Kremlev is. But he added, “it was an ‘afterparty’ given in their honor. Not a big deal!” First Lady Melania Trump, however, is seeking to distance herself from the wedding party and the Russian oligarch who paid for it. She put out a statement saying, “Mrs. Trump played no role whatsoever in organizing the wedding event, and was not privy to any aspect of its financial planning.” And Robin, the First Lady, did not attend either.

Next was the only borderline piece in the first 31 minutes with no explicit dig at the administration, but it was implied for anyone following previous developments:

A GMA pile-on against Trump wouldn’t be complete without one about gas and diesel prices as the Iran war drags on.

“We’re going to get the latest now on oil and gas prices spiking again overnight, rippling through the economy as the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine grind on. Hannah Battah is tracking the fallout as we enter the home heating season,” boomed tiny Stephanopoulos.

The co-host at World News Now and GMA: First Look, Battah said Trump claimed “there is a deal that could help lower costs as oil and gas prices continue to rise” as “[f]amilies that use oil to heat their homes could see a more than 30 percent increase in their bills this fall, as war with Iran continues to drive up prices” and “[t]hose using electricity...could pay nine percent more.”

After sharing fuel prices have soared 32 cents in a week and that “Costco is rationing its Kirkland signature motor oil,” Battah concluded by saying Trump is “blaming the rising cost of diesel on the Russia-Ukraine war, not Iran.” 

Before ending the first half-hour with a Monday Night Football wrap-up, there was a somewhat bizarre aside from weathercaster Sam Champion about the rising cost to buy a car (click “expand”):

STRAHAN: And Sam has more on how car ownership costs are going up. And Sam, it’s more than just the fuel prices that are going up.

CHAMPION: You’re exactly right, Michael. And I think you may have noticed it. A lot of people did that. Your car is getting a lot more expensive, and experts just proved you right. And by the way, as Michael just said, it’s not just those gas prices that are rising. A new AAA study finds the average annual cost to own and operate a new car — these are 2024 numbers — are just $12,900 a year, but that is about $1,072 a month, and it’s up more $100 than the year before. With insurance, maintenance, and fuel all costing you more, electric vehicles do continue to offer significantly lower fueling costs, as expected, but AAA says those savings are often offset by higher depreciation and finance charges. The study finds hybrids are the most consistent, affordable alternative, combining lower fuel bills with lower overall ownership costs in several vehicle categories. But here’s the bottom line — and you know what we’re going to say — when choosing a car: Experts say look beyond that sticker price because we’re all thinking that’s what it’s going to cost you, and factor in your insurance right now, maintenance, and fuel costs. Understand what that car is really going to cost you this year.

ROBERTS: That is a true price of ownership right there.

In the second half-hour, the first two news briefs had negative framing for the GOP. Weekend co-host Will Reeve began with some poo-pooing of a big Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcement:

A lot to get to — new at 7:30, beginning with the EPA saying it will repeal most limits on greenhouse gas emissions for power plants that burn fossil fuels, particularly coal and natural gas. EPA head Lee Zeldin claimed the regulations put in place during the Biden administration provided little benefit and drove up electricity costs. Environmental groups and climate experts condemned the decision.

The second was about Senator Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) return to D.C.:

And Senator Mitch McConnell returned to Capitol Hill yesterday after more than three months away. The 84-year-old was hospitalized in June after a fall, then spent weeks in rehab. McConnell headed to the Senate floor to cast his first vote since the accident, and his absence, telling reporters it was time to get back to work and finish the job for this Congress. 

Day in and day out, GMA is by far the most superficial of the three broadcast network newscasts. But when they’re not dumbing down viewers or engaged in corporate whoring, shoveling viewers the latest supposed deals from Disney cruises, Disney movies, Disney theme parks, or National Geographic specials, they have had one other goal since 2015: Trash Trump.

To see the relevant ABC transcript from September 15, click here.