On Friday’s CBS Evening News, anchor Scott Pelley strayed into punditry as he observed that “the common denominator of Mr. Trump’s woes is the Constitution” and not the media because they didn’t cause the departure of Mike Flynn, halt his immigration executive order, or have Andy Pudzer withdraw as the Labor Secretary nominee.
While discussing the reaction to President Trump’s first three weeks in office with Face the Nation host John Dickerson, Pelley acknowledged a new Trump tweet in which he denounced “[t]he FAKE NEWS media” as “not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!”
Trump specifically cited ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and The New York Times, so naturally, Pelley seemed offended. Pelley responded by claiming Trump’s problem isn’t the media, but it’s the Constitution:
But the media didn't block his travel ban, didn't fire the National Security Adviser, didn't cause the Labor Secretary to — nominee to withdraw, didn't attack the judiciary. It seems like the common denominator of Mr. Trump’s woes is the Constitution.
Dickerson offered a curious response, telling Pelley “[t]hat’s right.” Now, why is that curious? More on that in a bit.
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Dickerson also ruled with a holier-than-thou attitude that “[t]he media is a good punching bag, but it, also, is a protected American institution and that it was the free press that reported his National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, hadn't told the truth” by lying to Vice President Pence and led to Flynn’s departure.
Now, the reason Dickerson’s full-throated agreement with Pelley was curious had to do with the fact that, less than 24 hours beforehand, Dickerson sang a different tune about Trump and the media’s credibility.
Talking to conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt, Dickerson agreed with Hewitt’s assertion that “[t]he media hand-wringing is getting to me” with “just too much alarmism” on a daily basis.
“I agree with you to a point. You’re absolutely right. Focus on the big things,” Dickerson responded.
The Face the Nation host also conceded to Hewitt that, when it comes to the media’s credibility gap, “it’s not because of anything obviously Donald Trump did” because “[t]he press did all that good work ruining its reputation on its own.”
Going back to the CBS Evening News segment, Dickerson also chalked Trump’s problem up to the Constitution, admitting he’s applied the word “enemy” like “Richard Nixon used but in private”:
He's feeling the constraints that all presidents feel...You're right, the courts have done that, and now the courts have also pinched what he wants to do in future as he thinks about what his thoughts are. And Republican Senators were the ones who knocked down his labor secretary, and now John McCain is undermining the President's credibility overseas.
Here’s the transcript of the segment from February 17's CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley:
CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley
February 17, 2017
6:39 p.m. Eastern
SCOTT PELLEY: Well John Dickerson is anchor of Face the Nation. John, this news conference was spur of the moment. It was Donald Trump going with his gut.
JOHN DICKERSON: It absolutely was and it's fascinating to watch the split in the way it's been reviewed. In Washington, of course, it's gotten pretty bad reviews, even from Republicans. But I talked to a lot of Trump supporters as well, just as Omar did, and they loved it, and they talked about his focus. That wasn't a word you heard in Washington reviews, except in the negative. But what they heard is they had they heard him talk about jobs. They heard him talk about cutting regulations and they saw him being fully Donald Trump, and that's what they meant when they said he was keeping his promises. What about the unconventional things he said? They see strategy. Here's what one said. He said: “He tries to distract with his crazy remarks, but then he's left to focus on what he really wants to get done. This is deliberate philosophy,” said this one supporter. And they enjoy his criticism of the press, too.
PELLEY: You know, late today, Mr. Trump said: “The FAKE NEWS media...is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!” But the media didn't block his travel ban, didn't fire the National Security Adviser, didn't cause the Labor Secretary to — nominee to withdraw, didn't attack the judiciary. It seems like the common denominator of Mr. Trump’s woes is the Constitution.
DICKERSON: That's right. He's feeling the constraints that all presidents feel. He's using “enemy,” a word Richard Nixon used but in private. And you're right, the courts have done that, and now the courts have also pinched what he wants to do in future as he thinks about what his thoughts are. And Republican Senators were the ones who knocked down his labor secretary, and now John McCain is undermining the President's credibility overseas. The media is a good punching bag, but it, also, is a protected American institution and that it was the free press that reported his National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, hadn't told the truth, and that the Vice President had spread that untruth and want President said that's what caused him to ask Flynn to resign.
PELLEY: Well, John, we'll be with you on Sunday morning on Face the Nation, when your guests includes White House chief of staff Reince Priebus. Thanks.
