To any Trump supporter reading this post, behold what MSNBC’s Hardball host Chris Matthews really thinks of you, your political instincts, and just your basic level of intelligence.
Expressing disgust with President Trump’s attitudes going into this week’s NATO summit and subsequent sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Matthews ruled that Trump supporters are like untamed dogs with Trump “dog-training these people” to hate NATO and love Putin.
After a montage of the President discussing both at his Montana rally last week, Matthews wondered if people realize “to hell what this guy’s doing” with the Republican Party and its outlook on foreign policy.
Matthews screeched that he’s taking the one political party that, during the Cold War, hated the Russians the most “for all their aggressiveness in the world and taking over the countries on the border and being tyrannical the way they are now and he has those people cheering against Western Europe, which is liberal and democratic and free market and attacking them.”
Bloomberg’s Sahil Kapur started to speak, but Matthews interjected with the dog reference:
SAHIL KAPUR: It’s remarkable to think —
MATTHEWS: And the way he’s dog — he’s dog-training these people.
KAPUR: — right. One of the most consistent criticisms of Republicans toward President Obama was that he was alienating American allies and emboldening its enemies and I think President Trump is doing this on a level that would make a lot of Republicans nervous. It isn’t making them nervous.
Matthew then whined to Kapur, wanting to know: “But why are they cheering him?”
When Kapur mistook the question as concerning Republican elected officials, Matthews interjected to inform him that he meant Trump supporters.
“They’re — they’re not getting paid. They’re not running for anything. Those regular people that show up for a Trump rally are cheering the attacks on our European allies and cheering ‘give a chance to little Putin,’” complained the bloviating pundit.
Like a good Hardball panelist, Kapur fed the host’s ego by agreeing with him:
And — and I think those voters have accepted Trump's argument that these international institutions, like NATO and like the U.N., these international accords like the Paris Climate Accords and trade deals are harming the U.S. more than they’re helping the U.S. He doesn’t mention the fact that these institutions have bolstered a world order that has prevented a bloody world war for more than 70 years. He takes a very different view than any other post-war president.
In this installment of liberal double standards, just picture the way Matthews would have reacted if a Fox News host referred to Obama supporters as dogs being trained. I think we all know how that would go over.
To see the relevant transcript from MSNBC’s Hardball on July 10, click “expand.”
MSNBC’s Hardball
July 10, 2018
7:46 p.m. EasternCHRIS MATTHEWS: President Trump has given every indication that he intends to be more aggressive toward our own allies over in NATO this week than toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. Take a look at the different tones he used last week at a rally out in Montana.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I will see NATO, and I’m going to tell NATO you got to start paying their bills. United States is not going to take care of everything. [SCREEN WIPE] They kill us with NATO. They kill us. [SCREEN WIPE] They are going: “Will President Trump be prepared? You know, president Putin is KGB. And this and that. You know what? Putin’s fine. He’s fine. We're all fine. We're people.
MATTHEWS: Do you realize to hell what this guy’s doing? He is taking a Republican Party, a grass roots party that’s spent 60, 70 years leading the war in the Cold War, hating the Russians for all their aggressiveness in the world and taking over the countries on the border and being tyrannical the way they are now and he has those people cheering against Western Europe, which is liberal and democratic and free market and attacking them while saying how Trump — agreeing with Trump is “he’s doing his best.”
SAHIL KAPUR: It’s remarkable to think —
MATTHEWS: And the way he’s dog — he’s dog-training these people.
KAPUR: — right. One of the most consistent criticisms of Republicans toward President Obama was that he was alienating American allies and emboldening its enemies and I think President Trump is doing this on a level that would make a lot of Republicans nervous. It isn’t making them nervous.
MATTHEWS: But why are they cheering him.
KAPUR: It’s because they have to walk a fine line. They’re afraid of their base. Their base likes him.
MATTHEWS: No, the people out there in that audience. They’re — they’re not getting paid. They’re not running for anything. Those regular people that show up for a Trump rally are cheering the attacks on our European allies and cheering “give a chance to little Putin.”
KAPUR: And — and I think those voters have accepted Trump's argument that these international institutions, like NATO and like the U.N., these international accords like the Paris Climate Accords and trade deals are harming the U.S. more than they’re helping the U.S. He doesn’t mention the fact that these institutions have bolstered a world order that has prevented a bloody world war for more than 70 years. He takes a very different view than any other post-war president.
MATTHEWS: Where wouldn’t anybody want to live? Wouldn't you rather live in Denmark than Russia? Excuse me.
