Showing that he’s somewhat incapable of shame, MSNBC’s Hardball host Chris Matthews re-upped and defended on Tuesday night his near-endless comparisons of the Trump family to the ultimately-slaughtered Romanovs and Saddam Hussein’s murderous sons Uday and Qusay.
Matthews was discussing First Daughter/Assistant to the President Ivanka Trump’s visit to Germany with NBC News political analyst Nicolle Wallace and Salon’s Joan Walsh when he briefly suggested that Ivanka was only 27 years old getting prime seating at events like dinner with the Chinese president.
For the record, Ivanka is 35 and will turn 36 in October, but keep trying!
“There's a young person who’s never worked in the government sitting next to the President of China at a major event. Sitting next to the President of China. Another time she's sitting next to — what's her name — to the chancellor of Germany. These people must look over and say, what is she doing here except she's the President's daughter,” Matthews whined.
Mirroring his litany of previous Romanov references, Matthews used this 13th reference in 2017 to remind his audience that he’s used this label “because there's something about the President who presumes that this is a royal family taking its place at the table of power” and thus both “un-American” and “untraditional.”
In a brief aside, one has to wonder: What was the entire Clinton family then?
After Wallace expressed her dismay at the arrangement but clarified that this shouldn’t be everyone’s top concern when it comes to the Trump administration.
Matthews returned, turning to Walsh and seemingly changing his tune from April 11 when he stirred the pot, quipping about how “we know what happened to the Romanovs” in the end after their family lost power. Here he was:
MATTHEWS: Well, neither me, but I'm fascinated by the Romanovs. Last word, do you like the Romanovs? Do you like that image? I'm not talking about what happened to them ultimately —
JOAN WALSH: No, no, no.
MATTHEWS: — but I’m talking the power they have over their country because of their birth.
The far-left blogger agreed, stating that “it fits...but I also think it means this man does not have that many people around him outside of his family that he trusts, that he's developed a relationship of trust with and that bothers me also.”
Matthews seemed to be stepping back from the ledge of incivility but quickly ran back as he resurrected the Uday and Qusay Hussein comparison to Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner (previous used here and here):
Who wants to take on Jared Kushner in a meeting on the Middle East? Have that conversation. Scared to death. Everybody — oh my gosh, they don't want to say nothing. Anyway, little bit like Uday and Qusay. Not that bad. Nicolle Wallace, thank you, Joan Walsh, thank you. I shouldn’t be that tough but I am.
Here’s the relevant portion of the transcript from MSNBC’s Hardball on April 25:
MSNBC’s Hardball
April 25, 2017
7:24 p.m. Eastern
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Well, let's get to the role that she plays because of her father. I don't know about you, Nicole, but I know your sense about the status like we all are, we watch status statements that you don't want to be seated below the salt at a meeting. You don’t want to be at the end of the table. Look at the seating this person has gotten. At the age, what is she? 27? I don’t know how old she is. There's a young person who’s never worked in the government sitting next to the President of China at a major event. Sitting next to the President of China. Another time she's sitting next to — what's her name — to the chancellor of Germany. These people must look over and say, what is she doing here except she's the President's daughter. I've said the Romanovs because there's something about the President who presumes that this is a royal family taking its place at the table of power. It is un-American. It is untraditional. It's somewhat weird, although I know it must be comforting to have your kids around and I understand your son-in-law. I get the comfort factor. But is it American? Your thoughts first, Nicolle.
NICOLLE WALLACE: I'm going to quote John Oliver in The New York Times in that order. John Oliver who was riffing on this over the weekend said, you know, they're like our — our royal couple except they're both very attractive, and then in The New York Times leading up to the China meeting, there was a whole article about how the Chinese, who deal in the family dynasty business when it comes to their politics, were so comfortable dealing with an American political family.
MATTHEWS: Yeah sure. Of course they are. But they're not a democratic country.
WALLACE: But yeah and your question is it American? I mean, there is no real precedent for this. I think it's weird too. I just have to say, though, for all of the temperamental concerns that I have about Donald Trump, for me, Ivanka being in an official capacity in the White House is not one of the many, many, many things that keeps me up at night.
MATTHEWS: Yeah, I know. Well, either me, but I'm fascinated by the Romanovs. Last word, do you like the Romanovs? Do you like that image? I'm not talking about what happened to them ultimately —
JOAN WALSH: No, no, no.
MATTHEWS: — but I’m talking the power they have over their country because of their birth.
WALSH: Right, I think it fits, Chris, but I also think it means this man does not have that many people around him outside of his family that he trusts, that he's developed a relationship of trust with and that bothers me also.
MATTHEWS: I agree.
WALSH: So, you know, like Nicole, I'm — I’m in some ways glad she's there because I don't want bad things to happen. But it's also — it's wrong. It's just wrong.
MATTHEWS: Who wants to take on Jared Kushner in a meeting on the Middle East? Have that conversation. Scared to death. Everybody — oh my gosh, they don't want to say nothing. Anyway, little bit like Uday and Qusay. Not that bad. Nicolle Wallace, thank you, Joan Walsh, thank you. I shouldn’t be that tough but I am.
