On Tuesday, the broadcast networks were delighted that President Trump decided to temporarily hold off on border wall funding in order to help reach a budget deal in Congress. Rather than credit Trump for making a reasonable compromise to avoid a government shutdown, the NBC, ABC, and CBS morning shows eagerly spun the news as a defeat for the White House.
At the top of NBC’s Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie cheered: “Backing Down. President Trump signals he’s now willing to delay the fight over funding his border wall to avoid a government shutdown.” In the report that followed, correspondent Peter Alexander declared: “...the President’s proposed border wall had become a sticking point in avoiding a government shutdown....now backing away from a possible budget standoff.”
After Alexander touted the terms of Trump’s supposed surrender, Guthrie invited former Obama press secretary and new NBC News analyst Josh Earnest to gloat: “He set that up as saying, ‘You know, we’ve got to get border wall funding into this budget deal.’ And now he had to back down.”
Earnest predictably replied:
It was extraordinarily shortsighted. Because anybody who’s paid any attention to Congress over the last decade has recognized that in order to pass budget bills, you need to get Democratic support. Democrats were not going to support any sort of budget bill that included funding for a budget wall. So it’s not surprising to me that President Trump climbed down from his proposal. I mean, if anything, the fact that he did so on a Monday night, as opposed to waiting until the deadline on Friday, is an indication that he might be learning something.
Fellow co-host Matt Lauer hoped the move would upset Trump’s loyal base: “There’s a new poll out that says that 96% of the people who were part of Trump’s base are sticking with him. How does the base feel about this border wall issue, backing down on that?...How are they going to feel about that change of course?”
At the top of the 8 a.m. ET hour, correspondent Kristen Welker updated the story, seizing on Democratic Party talking points: “A senior White House official tells NBC News the President is now open to getting those new funds for the border wall this fall. That had been a major sticking point. And overnight, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the President’s pivot ‘good for the country.’”
Leading off ABC’s Good Morning America, co-host George Stephanopoulos heralded: “Backing Down. New signs President Trump willing to compromise on his demand that Congress fund the border wall right now, as he tries to make a deal to avoid a government shutdown.” Correspondent Jon Karl lectured: “Forget the 100-day milestone, the biggest challenge facing the President this week may be avoiding a government shutdown. The main sticking point, funding for his border wall. The White House calls it a top priority. Democrats say it’s a nonstarter.”
After playing a soundbite of himself grilling White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Monday over whether the President “won’t insist that his priorities get funded on the border, the wall, increased security,” Karl happily concluded: “But now there are signs the President is willing to give in to avoid a shutdown.”
Like NBC’s Welker, he highlighted: “Democratic reaction to the President’s reported comments was swift. Senator Chuck Schumer saying in a statement overnight that President Trump was taking the wall off the table in a move he called ‘good for the country.’”
In a discussion with Stephanopoulos minutes later, Daily Beast editor-in-chief John Avlon announced:
I mean, capping your 100 days with a government shutdown is a full-on face plant and a total unforced error when Republicans have unified control of government....To have this happen with Republicans owning Washington would be unprecedented in every way. That said, last night he seemed to back off one of the big sticking points, which is insisting on adding money for the border wall in this continuing resolution. So that’s something that could stop this self-appointed disaster for occurring.
Finally, CBS This Morning began with co-host Charlie Rose reading from the same script: “The White House backs away from a border wall showdown that could have shut down the government.” He later introduced the segment by proclaiming: “President Trump is backing away from a fight in Congress this week over building a Mexico border wall.”
Fellow co-host Norah O’Donnell chimed in: “That issue threatened a deadlock in Congress that could have shut down the government. The wall will now be part of next year’s budget instead.” Correspondent Margaret Brennan observed: “Without broad-based Republican support, Congress will hold off on financing Mr. Trump’s border wall this week....For Democrats, and a number of border-state Republicans, the wall was a pricey deal-breaker.”
At no point in the hours of coverage across the three network broadcasts did Democrats receive any blame for the possibility of a government shutdown given their hardline stance against funding a border wall. On Monday, the networks made it clear that only Trump’s “adamant” demands would be to blame for such a stalemate.
Here are excerpts of the April 25 reporting on NBC, ABC, and CBS:
Today
7:02 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Let’s get to our top story, and Matt just previewed it, Congress returning from its two-week break this morning and facing that deadline to keep the government operating and not shutting down. President Trump has now indicated that he’s willing to drop his border wall funding demand to get a deal. We’ve got several reports. We’ll start with NBC’s national correspondent Peter Alexander at the White House. Hi Peter, good morning.
PETER ALEXANDER: Hey, Savannah, good morning to you. The initial $1.4 billion price tag to begin building the President’s proposed border wall had become a sticking point in avoiding a government shutdown that still could happen this Saturday, notably the President’s 100th day in office. But President Trump who’s been looking to rack up a big win ahead of that milestone, is now backing away from a possible budget standoff.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Trump Backs Down on Border Wall Funding; Willing to Wait to Avoid Government Shutdown]
Just days after demanding money to build that border wall be included in the spending bill that Congress must past this week to avoid a government shutdown, the President is shifting the calendar, now telling conservative reporters he’s open to delaying funding for wall construction until this fall instead of this week. The White House optimistic a shutdown will be averted.
SEAN SPICER: They feel very confident that that won’t happen.
(...)
Good Morning America
7:02 AM ET
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: First, as President Trump closes in on that 100-day mark, new signs this morning that he’s willing to put off funding his border wall to prevent a government shutdown. That would be a big shift for the President. Our Chief White House Correspondent Jon Karl starts us off with the latest. Good morning, Jon.
JON KARL: Good morning, George. President Trump certainly is not going to give up on funding that border wall, but the indications are that he is willing to put off that fight for another day.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: President Backing Down on Border Wall?; Says He’d Put Off Funding to Avoid Shutdown]
Forget the 100-day milestone, the biggest challenge facing the President this week may be avoiding a government shutdown. The main sticking point, funding for his border wall. The White House calls it a top priority. Democrats say it’s a nonstarter.
KARL [TO SEAN SPICER]: Can you, from that podium, guarantee that there will not be a government shutdown?
SEAN SPICER: I can’t guarantee –
KARL: How close can you get to guaranteeing?
SPICER: I think that the work that Director Mulvaney and others have made in these negotiations has been very positive. They feel very confident that that won’t happen.
KARL: So he won’t insist that his priorities get funded on the border, the wall, increased security?
SPICER: That’s not what I said.
KARL: But now there are signs the President is willing to give in to avoid a shutdown. According to multiple sources, President Trump told a group of conservative journalists at a private White House reception that he is willing to put off funding for the wall until later this fall.
Democratic reaction to the President’s reported comments was swift. Senator Chuck Schumer saying in a statement overnight that President Trump was taking the wall off the table in a move he called “good for the country.”
(...)
CBS This Morning
7:03 AM ET
CHARLIE ROSE: President Trump is backing away from a fight in Congress this week over building a Mexico border wall. Senior administration officials tell CBS News Mr. Trump will no longer insist that this year’s budget include money for the wall.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Hitting the Wall; President Putting Mexico Barrier Proposal on Hold]
NORAH O’DONNELL: That issue threatened a deadlock in Congress that could have shut down the government. The wall will now be part of next year’s budget instead.
ALEX WAGNER: The President is moving on to another campaign promise, cutting corporate tax rates. Margaret Brennan is at the White House. Margaret, good morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Good morning. Well, with just a few days to go before President Trump hits that self-imposed 100-day deadline, he is sending a group of top advisers to Capitol Hill to close some deals, including Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, Gary Cohn, and Vice President Mike Pence, whose plane touched down on a return trip from Asia just moments ago.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Stopping a Shutdown; Lawmakers Rush to Find Compromise Before Deadline]
MIKE PENCE: I’m headed back to Capitol Hill. There’s a spending bill that’s being considered as we speak.
BRENNAN: The Vice President returned a day early from his Asia trip to help push through a spending plan to avoid a government shutdown.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM [R-SC]: A 2,200-mile wall doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
BRENNAN: Without broad-based Republican support, Congress will hold off on financing Mr. Trump’s border wall this week.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER [D-NY]: The cost of the wall is staggering.
BRENNAN: For Democrats, and a number of border-state Republicans, the wall was a pricey deal-breaker. But they’ve agreed in principle to more funding for border security and surveillance.
(...)
