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‘Handmaid of American Fascism’: Ronna McDaniel’s New NBC News Gig Sparks Fury

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Exactly two weeks after her Trump-engineered exit as chair of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel has been hired by NBC News and MSNBC as a political commentator, fomenting fury among journalists, press watchers, and ordinary Americans.

Declaring that the network has a “crucial mission,” which it “performs like no other,” NBC News senior vice president of politics Carrie Budoff Brown announced McDaniel’s hiring to employees in a memo Friday, which ws published by The Hollywood Reporter.

“It couldn’t be a more important moment to have a voice like Ronna’s on the team,” Brown wrote. “As chair of the Republican National Committee, she spent nearly eight years at the highest levels of American politics before stepping down earlier this year. As we gear up for the longest general election season in recent memory, she will support our leading coverage by providing an insider’s perspective on national politics and on the future of the Republican Party — which she led through some of the most turbulent and challenging moments in political history. And as a longtime Michigan resident, she’ll be an important voice from one of this year’s key battlegrounds.”

Critics shared a different version of McDaniels’ résumé – and NBC News’ responsibilities.

“NBC is and must be, first and foremost, in the credibility business. She will compromise that every time she appears on air. She cannot be trusted,” wrote David Rothkopf, a journalist, author, and foreign policy, national security and political affairs analyst and commentator. Rothkopf is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He also called it “a terrible decision” and McDaniel “a proven serial liar.”

READ MORE: Meet the Republicans Who Voted Against Condemning Putin’s Illegal Abduction of Children

Media Matters ran this headline: “NBC News hires Ronna McDaniel, who played a key role in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to NBC News.”

The sub-head: “Even participating in an attempted coup can’t disrupt the politics-to-pundit pipeline.”

“Prosecutors argued that, as NBC News characterized it, McDaniel has ‘unique knowledge’ about ‘the conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election,'” writes Media Matters’ John Knefel. “NBC News executives can perhaps be forgiven for these repeated oversights, though. After all, the network laid off dozens of its news staffers in January, so maybe there aren’t enough researchers around to dig into the network’s own coverage of its newest contributor.”

Others also pointed to McDaniel’s credibility and alleged actions to undermine democracy and overturn the 2020 election.

“McDaniel lied about the 2020 election result, was involved in a pressure campaign to get Michigan officials not to certify the vote, and has accused MSNBC of ‘spreading lies’ and employing ‘primetime propagandists,'” declared former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan, now editor-in-chief of Zeteo News.

Political strategist Rachel Bitecofer, talking about McDaniel’s work during the 2020 election, wrote: “Ronna McDaniel was balls deep in the coup plot. She flew to swing states to encourage Republican state legislators and Republican election officials to submit fraudulent electors to steal the election from Joe Biden. If I was an @NBCNews employee I’d be pissed.”

READ MORE: Greene Moves to Oust Johnson as Gaetz Says Democrat Jeffries Could Be Elected Speaker

The Daily Beast’s senior media reporter Justin Baragona dug up a social media post by McDaniel that disparages the network she will now be working for.

Attorney and MediasTouch.com editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski posted video of McDaniel “saying she hopes the US defaults on its debt because that will help Republicans.”

Former Chicago Tribune editor Mark Jacob served NBC News this dire warning: “A MAGA dictatorship would crush legitimate news organizations and embrace propaganda outfits. By hiring fascist liar Ronna McDaniel, NBC has shown which one it wants to be.”

“Carrie Budoff Brown is a traitor to democracy,” continued Jacob, who writes the Stop the Presses newsletter. He added: “This is what media complicity with fascism looks like. NBC is paying a co-conspirator in the Jan. 6 insurrection to keep deceiving the American people.”

Current MSNBC columnist Marisa Kabas wrote Brown a letter in which she says, “As we approach the 2024 election, it has never been more important for viewers and readers to have trust in their news outlets. Rehabilitating the reputation of an enabler of a government coup will completely undermine that trust.”

“As RNC Chairwoman,” Kabas continued, “McDaniel was quite literally on a phone call with former President Trump when he pressured two local Michigan officials not to sign the certification of the 2020 presidential election. McDaniel told the officials, ‘If you can go home tonight and do not sign it… We will get you attorneys.’ She also called for an erroneous investigation into another Michigan county’s voting procedures which was so riddled with false claims, the Michigan Department of State issued a statement saying her claims had ‘no merit.'”

Dash Dobrofsky, who writes The Gen Z Perspective, posted: “MSNBC just hired Ronna McDaniel — an election-denying, racist, pro-fascist, homophobic pathological liar — as their latest political contributor/commentator. In other words, they will pay her to lie for Trump during an election year. MSNBC is not a legitimate news organization.”

READ MORE: ‘Work Until You Drop Dead’: House GOP Plan Takes Ax to Social Security, Healthcare, Civil Rights

From McDaniel’s home state, Craig Mauger of The Detroit News writes: “Here’s our reporting from December about her involvement in a call to pressure the Wayne County canvassers not to sign the 2020 election certification,” as he points to this story that reads in part:

“On a Nov. 17, 2020, phone call, which also involved Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Trump told Monica Palmer and William Hartmann, the two GOP Wayne County canvassers, they’d look ‘terrible’ if they signed the documents after they first voted in opposition and then later in the same meeting voted to approve certification of the county’s election results, according to the recordings.”

Puck News founding partner and Washington correspondent Julia Ioffe summed it up:

“Real journalists are losing their jobs, but the handmaids of American fascism are getting plum spots in legacy American media organizations. Shame on you, @NBCNews.”

 

Image via Shutterstock

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News

Harris Goes All in With Fox News, Charlamagne, and Possibly Rogan Interviews

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October 15, 2024

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Vice President Kamala Harris is pulling out all the stops with just three weeks until Election Day and early voting currently underway in dozens of states. As the polls show the race between the Democratic presidential nominee and Donald Trump tightening, Harris is heading into less-friendly territory this week, sitting down for an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Charlemagne the God Tuesday afternoon, and possibly even Joe Rogan.

Harris reportedly is looking to make gains with male voters, and she will instantly gain access to millions of them—many of whom may not be current supporters— with these interviews.

“Charlamagne, a Black comedian and author who hosts radio program ‘The Breakfast Club,’ is known for his blunt interviews of celebrities,” Reuters reports. “A Harris supporter, he has been critical of her and President Joe Biden in the past and called Democrats ‘cowards’ for ineffectively prosecuting a case against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.”

READ MORE: ‘Petulant Toddler’ Trump Smacked Down by British Journalist at Chicago Economic Club

Tuesday’s show will be a town hall style event, “recorded live in Detroit, Michigan, a key swing state in this year’s race. It comes amid a busy week for Harris, who is campaigning in the Great Lake State, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin,” USA Today adds. “The radio personality and comedian asked Michigan residents to submit questions before his chat with Harris.”

Charlamagne has eight million monthly listeners. Tuesday’s interview, “We the People: An Audio Town Hall with Kamala Harris” can be heard at 5:00 PM ET on iHeartRadio.

“The interview will offer Harris an opportunity to make her case to his followers, as she works to shore up support with male voters and Black men in particular. Numerous public polls suggest Republican nominee Donald Trump could outperform among young men of all races,” Reuters adds. “On Monday, the vice president released a new set of policy proposals to appeal to Black male voters and her campaign is ramping up outreach to the typically Democratic voting group.”

The Harris campaign is also currently in talks with Joe Rogan, the nation’s number one podcaster whose show, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” has 14.5 million followers.

READ MORE: ‘He’s Not Ok’: Questions of Trump’s ‘Cognitive Decline’ Explode Amid ‘Bizarre Behavior’

Some Harris supporters are wary of her Fox News and possible Rogan interviews, but some say the Vice President should do them.

“Fox News and Rogan in the closing weeks,” notes Adam Carlson, a market researcher and former pollster. “It’s almost as if she was waiting until voters were the most tuned in to do these types of interviews. It’s almost as if her campaign knows what it’s doing.”

“If you hate Fox News & Joe Rogan (as I do), then good,” Carlson also says, “These interviews aren’t for you. You’re already voting for her.”

“Fox News is targeting the small but important block of Rs that don’t like Trump,” he adds. “Rogan is for men & less engaged/low info voters.”

“The goal is to win not placate.”

Matthew Sheffield, a self-described former right-wing operative turned progressive podcaster, adds: “Kamala Harris going on Joe Rogan is a long overdue for a major Dem. He and Alex Cooper occupy similar cultural niches. Rogan is conservative, but he’s not a Fox hack. This group needs to be addressed rather than ceded to Trump. She’s got the facts his audience needs.”

READ MORE: Trump Campaign Furious Walz Using Trump’s Own ‘Reckless, Dangerous Rhetoric’ Against Him

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‘Petulant Toddler’ Trump Smacked Down by British Journalist at Chicago Economic Club

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4 hours ago

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October 15, 2024

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Donald Trump sat down for a live interview with the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News Tuesday afternoon at the Economic Club of Chicago, and quickly grew defensive when questioned about his economic policies as the journalist explained to him how they will harm the American economy.

At one point Trump sat back in his chair and folded his arms in a defensive posture before telling his host,”You’ve been wrong, you’ve been wrong all your life.”

John Micklethwait has served as Bloomberg’s editor-in-chief since 2015 and previously in the same role at The Economist, starting in 2006.

“President Trump,” Micklethwait said, “the markets are looking at the facts. You are making all these promises—latest one was car loans—you’re flooding the thing with giveaways.”

READ MORE: ‘He’s Not Ok’: Questions of Trump’s ‘Cognitive Decline’ Explode Amid ‘Bizarre Behavior’

“I was actually quite kind to you,” Micklethwait continued as Trump tried to interrupt. “I used seven trillion, the upper estimate is 15 trillion,” he said of the debt Trump’s policies could create. “People like The Wall Street Journal, who is hardly a communist organization, have criticized you on this as well.”

Trump interjected, “Yeah, but you don’t know.”

“You are running up enormous debt,” Micklethwait told him.

“What is The Wall Street Journal know? I’m meeting with them tomorrow,” Trump said.

“What does The Wall Street Journal know, they’ve been wrong about everything,” the ex-president, in defensive mode, continued. “So have you, by the way. You are wrong, by the way.”

“You’re trying to turn this, you’re trying to turn this —” Micklethwait interjected before Trump again attacked by saying, “You’ve been wrong.”

“You’re trying to turn you’re trying to turn this into a debate,” the journalist countered. “There are business people —” he added, pointing to the audience.

READ MORE: Trump Abruptly Cancels Another Interview, This Time With a Trump-Friendly CNBC Host

“But you’ve been wrong,” Trump argued. “You’ve been wrong, you’ve been wrong all your life on this stuff.”

Mother Jones’ David Corn responded to the video (below), writing: “This is a man incapable of listening to others. His aides have said that for years. He cannot absorb information that challenges anything in his big brain. It’s hyper-narcissism. And the business class ought to worry about this and not just drool over tax cuts.”

Former Lincoln Project executive director Fred Wellman, also responding to the video, said, “Look how he crosses his arms like a petulant toddler.”

Watch below or at this link.

READ MORE: Trump Campaign Furious Walz Using Trump’s Own ‘Reckless, Dangerous Rhetoric’ Against Him

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Trump Abruptly Cancels Another Interview, This Time With a Trump-Friendly CNBC Host

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7 hours ago

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October 15, 2024

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Donald Trump has just canceled a scheduled interview with CNBC’s Joe Kernen, who has been described as “pro-Trump.”

The cancellation comes as many are watching video and reading reports about Trump’s Monday night town hall in Pennsylvania, during which the Republican presidential nominee, three weeks before Election Day, took just a handful of questions. Then, after two audience medical issues, he turned the night into a music event as he stood and swayed on stage listening to his favorite hits.

Trump “abruptly canceled an interview on his economic plans with business channel CNBC, one of its anchors announced Tuesday,” The Daily Beast reports. “Joe Kernen, the conservative-leaning host of its flagship show Squawk Box, revealed the move during an interview with Charles Phillips, the Oracle chairman who is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, saying ‘Trump canceled.’ The interview had not previously been announced by either side. Sources told the Daily Beast that the network had invited Trump to an in-studio sit-down on Squawk Box to take place later this week and that his campaign had initially accepted.”

The move comes after Trump pulled out of an agreed-upon “60 Minutes” interview, and one day before Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic presidential opponent, will sit down for an interview with Fox News.

READ MORE: Trump Campaign Furious Walz Using Trump’s Own ‘Reckless, Dangerous Rhetoric’ Against Him

“The cancelation continues Trump’s policy of avoiding mainstream television interviews,” The Daily Beast adds. “Instead he has been interviewed repeatedly by friendly Fox News hosts including Maria Bartiromo, and appeared with podcasters including comedian Andrew Schultz. His public schedule said he would be interviewed Tuesday by Bloomberg before an address to the Economic Club of Chicago.”

The Bulwark reports since Trump’s only debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, he isn’t giving interviews to the mainstream media.

“In recent weeks, Trump has almost exclusively decamped to outlets that are already in his tank. Since the September 10 presidential debate, with the exceptions of a Las Vegas ABC affiliate and a quick NewsNation hit, nearly all of Trump’s 14 one-one interviews have been with interviewers ranging from friendly to sycophantic:

“Fox News hosts Maria Bartiromo, Laura Ingraham, Brian Kilmeade, Sean Hannity, and Greg Gutfield.
Chris Salcedo, Carl Higbie, and Rob Schmitt of NewsMax.
Sinclair’s Sharyl Attkisson.
Conservative radio host Dave Ramsey.
Wayne Allyn Root of Real America’s Voice.
Andrew Schultz and Akaash Singh of the comedy podcast Flagrant.
Over the same period, he’s totally eschewed tentpole mainstream outlets—making a point of skipping, for instance, the traditional interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes.”

READ MORE: ‘Is He OK?’: Trump’s Dark of Night Rage Posting Backfires

“Trump still talks with the press and takes questions at events, including (likely) today when Bloomberg News is hosting his speech at the Chicago Economic Club. But when it comes to one-on-one interviews, he’s never been more cloistered within his MAGA media bubble.”

Overnight, Trump lashed out at Harris in a series of social media posts, defending his mental health.

“I’ve put out more Medical Exams than any other President in History, and aced two Cognitive Exams (the Doctor stated that my “cognitive exams were exceptional!”). I am far healthier than Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden, but especially, Kamala,” Trump alleged. “Also, I am far too busy campaigning to take time, from the 22 days left, as I am using every hour, of every day, campaigning, because we have to take back our Country from the Radical Left people that are destroying it.”

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