Minutes before President Trump announced a deal to end the partial government shutdown Friday afternoon, the anchors and correspondents on MSNBC were beside themselves with glee over the development, cheering it as a “ginormous win” for Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“If this, in fact, is for a short-term reopening of the government, then that is the second ginormous win for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker in just a matter of days,” Capitol Hill correspondent Kelly O’Donnell proclaimed in the 1:00 p.m. ET hour as she previewed the President’s upcoming speech. After noting how the Democratic leader “got the President to capitulate on the State of the Union address,” O’Donnell gushed that with government reopening “put another notch in Speaker Pelosi’s belt for the new power in Washington.”
Later in the hour, fill-in anchor Chris Jansing eagerly agreed with the reporter’s assessment: “...you so rightfully point out now seems to have had two ginormous wins over the President...”
The Pelosi praise continued into the 2:00 p.m. ET hour, with Politico Senior Writer Jake Sherman telling anchor Katy Tur: “It’s a big win, as Kelly O’Donnell said in the last hour, a massive, massive victory for Nancy Pelosi...”
Moments later, Associated Press White House reporter Jonathan Lemire happily announced that the “number one outcome” of the funding deal was Pelosi supposedly getting a power boost, treating furloughed government workers as an afterthought:
And Jake is right, this is – the number one outcome of this is that – unfortunately of course for these workers who went weeks and weeks without being paid – but also, Nancy Pelosi’s power has undoubtedly been increased. She has strengthened her hold, not just among Democrats, but just in Washington. And really setting herself up as an equal with this president and something that Trump was very reluctant to acknowledge at first, but now, has no choice in the matter.
Tur touted a fellow liberal journalist cheering the news: “I believe it was Charlie Pearce who said this on Twitter, writer for Esquire, ‘Donald Trump got his wall, the wall’s name is Nancy,’ as in Nancy Pelosi.”
Lemire concluded: “So this is someone [Trump] who is now, for the first time sort of had to – in this office – has a political foe, in Speaker Pelosi, who is his equal.” Tur chimed in: “A formidable foe.” Lemire continued: “Very much so. And has clearly defeated him – ” Tur interjected: “I mean, is his equal – she’s acting as his equal in the sense that she has – she is part of an equal branch of government, a co-equal branch of government.” Lemire added: “And now, he has had a stark reminder that, that is how things work.”
Tur finished up the fawning discussion by hailing the 2018 midterm results:
And she’s come in with a pretty clear mandate, too, from Democratic voters, who voted overwhelmingly to put the Democrats back in charge of the House. A massive blue wave to put the Democrats back in charge of the House in order to put a check on this presidency. And it is striking that it seems that Donald Trump did not understand that. He did not understand what she came in to do, what her job was.
Notice that not a single elected Democrat was featured in the MSNBC discussion. Who needs that when journalists already behave like the opposition party?
Here are excerpts of the January 25 coverage:
MSNBC Live With Velshi and Ruhle
1:37 PM ET(...)
KELLY O’DONNELL: If this, in fact, is for a short-term reopening of the government, then that is the second ginormous win for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker in just a matter of days. She got the President to capitulate on the State of the Union address, saying she would not have a resolution to invite him to speak in the House chamber with government not open. A smaller point, but a power test. And now, she has also been saying there would be no negotiation for a border wall unless government is reopened. And if the President comes out and says he is prepared to reopen on a short-term basis without that border wall funding, put another notch in Speaker Pelosi’s belt for the new power in Washington.
(...)
1:58 PM ETCHRIS JANSING: Kelly, it is such a good point, that we don’t know what we don’t know and what we really know – have no ideas of the contours of what the discussions have been inside those rooms. Having said that, and as plugged in as you have been throughout your career on Capitol Hill, is there any signal that you have heard or seen that would suggest to you that the Democrats and Nancy Pelosi – who you so rightfully point out now seems to have had two ginormous wins over the President, potentially, obviously the first one on the State of the Union – that they have moved in their position?
(...)
MSNBC Live With Katy Tur
2:03 PM ET
JAKE SHERMAN [POLITICO SENIOR WRITER]: It’s a big win, as Kelly O’Donnell said in the last hour, a massive, massive victory for Nancy Pelosi, who has insisted on two things, opening up the government, which she’s going to get right now, and no State of the Union, which Donald Trump ceded to a few days ago.
KATY TUR: Jonathan Lemire, the President not getting money for his border wall.
JONATHAN LEMIRE [ASSOCIATED PRESS WHITE HOUSE REPORTER]: No, it does not appear that way. We also will learn the details here shortly in terms of when the President comes out and speaks in the Rose Garden there to the assembled reporters. But this is – he’s not getting what he wanted. And Jake is right, this is – the number one outcome of this is that – unfortunately of course for these workers who went weeks and weeks without being paid – but also, Nancy Pelosi’s power has undoubtedly been increased. She has strengthened her hold, not just among Democrats, but just in Washington. And really setting herself up as an equal with this president and something that Trump was very reluctant to acknowledge at first, but now, has no choice in the matter.
He’s someone who, he’s so reluctant to cave. His whole political identity is that he’s the fighter and the counter-puncher and he would never back down. And yet, he’s had to do so now twice, on the State of the Union, and now today in accepting a deal that does not appear to have any money for the border wall.
(...)
2:08 PM ET
TUR: I believe it was Charlie Pearce who said this on Twitter, writer for Esquire, “Donald Trump got his wall, the wall’s name is Nancy,” as in Nancy Pelosi.
(...)
2:09 PM ET
LEMIRE: There was a sense there [in the White House] of inevitability sinking in, just like it was a few days ago, prior to that, when he realized there was no way he could give the State of the Union in the chamber of the House of Representatives unless Nancy Pelosi said so. And of course, she did not.
So that is – the President here has been outmaneuvered. And as we are seeing now, the first real effects of what is it like for the President to be in Washington with other party controlling a branch of government. It’s a very different reality that the first two years he had in office.
(...)
LEMIRE: So this is someone who is now, for the first time sort of had to – in this office – has a political foe, in Speaker Pelosi, who is his equal.
TUR: A formidable foe.
LEMIRE: Very much so. And has clearly defeated him –
TUR: I mean, is his equal – she’s acting as his equal in the sense that she has – she is part of an equal branch of government, a co-equal branch of government.
LEMIRE: Which of course it is, but not how the President has viewed things in Washington.
TUR: No.
LEMIRE: And now, he has had a stark reminder that, that is how things work.
TUR: And she’s come in with a pretty clear mandate, too, from Democratic voters, who voted overwhelmingly to put the Democrats back in charge of the House. A massive blue wave to put the Democrats back in charge of the House in order to put a check on this presidency. And it is striking that it seems that Donald Trump did not understand that. He did not understand what she came in to do, what her job was.
(...)
