In the final week before Election Day, representatives from both political campaigns were invited on Thursday’s Morning Joe, though only Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway appeared on the show and used the opportunity to thank the hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for calling out media bias on Wednesday’s broadcast.
Conway stated: “I really appreciated Joe on the set yesterday and you, as well, Mika, calling out some of your colleagues in the media. Not by name but saying basically you've been cheerleaders and not reporters the last couple weeks.”
This was in the context of MSNBC liberal commentators lead by one of the co-hosts Willie Geist questioning her over Donald Trump purposefully singling out their NBC colleague Katy Tur at a recent rally. Trump as always had emphasized the biased press coverage of his campaign by pointing out that “We have massive crowds. There is something happening. They're not reporting it. Katy, you're not reporting it. There's something happening, Katy. There's something happening, Katy.”
Conway defended the GOP nominee by highlighting that calling out reporters who cover his campaign at rallies is his unique way of fighting against the broader liberal media bias. Further, she stated:
"I will tell you just generally about the media. You saw the polls. I hope you saw them this weekend – this week that by a margin of 10 to 1, that's way outside of the margin of error, that by margin of 10 to 1, Americans think the media want Hillary Clinton to win. I honestly think that the combination of Donald Trump railing against political correctness and him reminding people what they already suspect, which is that the fix is in in many places, not all places and not even most place perhaps, Willie but people are so tired of being told what to think and how to act and what to do!"
The Trump campaign manager cited recent polls which show that by an overwhelming margin of 10-1, the public thinks that the media want Clinton to win. Conway further escalated her attack on the media by questioning stories already announcing the election outcome and boldly proclaiming that “People don't like that, it’s their voice and their choice and for many Americans, lady and gentlemen - for them it's the most important thing they'll do in the next five days. It's the best part about democracy is that everyone has one vote.”
Conway was repeatedly questioned over what Trump said last night and why he said it even though she stated over and over that she had already spoken to NBC and sorted out the matter with their Trump campaign correspondent Katy Tur. However it seemed that the liberal commentators lead by Willie Geist were desperate to distract from Conway’s previous articulate assessment of Trump’s phenomenal populist movement in this election and were eager to focus instead on Trump’s controversial personality and his own personal ways of dealing with well-known to be biased journalists in a public environment.
Here is the excerpt from the November 3rd discussion on Morning Joe:
MSNBC’s Morning Joe
11/03/2016
7:15:45 – 7:18:28 AM
WILLIE GEIST: Kellyanne before I let you go, I want to play for you a sound bite of something Donald Trump said on the trail last night.
DONALD TRUMP: We have massive crowds. There is something happening. They're not reporting it. Katy, you're not reporting it. There's something happening, Katy. There's something happening, Katy.MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Katy Tur.
WILLIE GEIST: Do you think it's appropriate for Donald Trump in a public setting like that to single out any NBC reporter – any reporter by name given the heat reporters have taken in this, given the fact that Katy has had to be escorted out by secret service at previous rallies. Why is he calling people out by name in the back of the room?
KELLYANE CONWAY: He obviously didn't mean it in any malicious way. I have spoken to NBC news about that issue. I'll leave it there.
GIEST: Would you shed any light on it?
CONWAY: No hahah - Sorry. You can call me later.
GIEST; Why can't we talk about it on TV?
CONWAY: I will tell you just generally about the media. You saw the polls. I hope you saw them this weekend – this week that by a margin of 10 to 1, that's way outside of the margin of error, that by margin of 10 to 1, Americans think the media want Hillary Clinton to win. I honestly think that the combination of Donald Trump railing against political correctness and him reminding people what they already suspect, which is that the fix is in in many places, not all places and not even most place perhaps, Willie but people are so tired of being told what to think and how to act and what to do --
BRZEZINSKI: Wait but how does that connect with Katy Tur.
CONWAY: It connects with the media generally. That's one of his biggest talking points ---
BRZEZINSKI: I've never seen in her reporting ever tell anyone what to think. Never once.
CONWAY: No, this is not about Katy. I'm extrapolating on to one of his major compelling and successful messaging points throughout this whole campaign Mika, which is don't let the establishment define you and tell you. That really was the magic in the primaries frankly. You combine Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Ben Carson in the primaries, you’re over 72% of the voters - because they were against establishment organizations. Don't let people tell you who can win who and who can't win and what to think and what to believe. Look at what's happened in the last couple weeks. I mean, I really appreciated Joe on the set yesterday and you, as well, Mika, calling out some of your colleagues in the media. Not by name saying basically you've been cheerleaders and not reporters the last couple weeks. Where do these stories, particularly in print by the way and then repeated on TV. ‘The race is over. She's going to have a landslide.’ People don't like that, it’s their voice and their choice and for many Americans, lady and gentlemen - for them it's the most important thing they'll do in the next five days. It's the best part about democracy is that everyone has one vote.
GEIST: You agree that Donald Trump is wrong to call Katy out?
CONWAY: I prefer when he talks about institutions generally. I had an exchange with Katy last night. I've been in touch with NBC news.
BRZEZNSKI: Kellyanne Conway, thank you. We should note that we asked the Clinton campaign for someone from their campaign leadership to join us this morning, but they declined to make anyone available. Joe...
