Apparently the fawning media coverage of Beto O’Rourke’s first day on the 2020 campaign trail was even too much for liberal Late Night host Seth Meyers. On his Thursday night show, aired early Friday morning, the NBC comedian actually took MSNBC to task for bizarrely obsessing over O’Rourke’s rental minivan while reporting on the former Texas Congressman making a campaign stop in Iowa.
“Fox News is not the only cable channel that’s taken a keen interest in Beto’s announcement,” Meyers noted after going after one of his favorite targets, “There was also MSNBC, which honed in on even the smallest details of Beto’s trip to Iowa.” He explained: “For example, they seemed especially fixated on his minivan.”
A montage followed of the laughable segment from Thursday’s MSNBC Live With Hallie Jackson. “Beto O’Rourke is driving himself in his Dodge Caravan, he just left Keokuk and he’s arriving here to Fort Madison High School,” correspondent Vaughn Hillyard reported as he awaited O’Rourke’s arrival. Jackson eagerly wondered: “Where is he?”
The Daily Beast’s Betsy Woodruff could be heard asking Hillyard: “Vaughn, do we know how the minivan got to Iowa? If it’s a rental that he acquired there or if this is or the sort of the O’Rourke family minivan that has now been moved to Iowa for campaign purposes?” The Late Night audience laughed as they watched the absurd discussion.
When O’Rourke finally got out of the van, Hillyard demanded: “The question, Congressman, is where is the rental car from?” O’Rourke finally broke the suspense: “Picked it up in Des Moines airport.”
After the clip, Meyers sarcastically remarked: “Wow, hard-hitting stuff, you guys.” He then imagined their follow-up questions: “Did you use Hertz or Avis? Answer the question! Will you release your minivan returns?!”
Early on in the embarrassing MSNBC discussion, Woodruff actually recalled similar media infatuation with Hillary Clinton’s “Scooby-Doo mobile” during coverage of an Iowa campaign stop she made in 2015. At that time, journalists could actually be seen excitedly chasing after Clinton’s van.
Here is a fuller video of MSNBC being in awe of Beto’s minivan on March 14:
Here is a transcript of Meyers mocking the “news” coverage on his show, aired early on the morning of March 15:
12:51 AM ET
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SETH MEYERS: Fox News is not the only cable channel that’s taken a keen interest in Beto’s announcement. There was also MSNBC, which honed in on even the smallest details of Beto’s trip to Iowa. For example, they seemed especially fixated on his minivan.
VAUGHN HILLYARD: Beto O’Rourke is driving himself in his Dodge Caravan, he just left Keokuk...
HALLIE JACKSON: Where is he?
HILLYARD: ...and he’s arriving here to Fort Madison High School.
BETSY WOODDRUFF [DAILY BEAST]: Vaughn, do we know how the minivan got to Iowa? If it’s a rental that he acquired there or if this is or the sort of the O’Rourke family minivan that has now been moved to Iowa for campaign purposes? [Laughter]
HILLYARD: It looks like an Illinois van. This is about three hours away from any major city. The question, Congressman, is where is the rental car from?
BETO O’ROURKE: Des Moines.
HILLYARD: Des Moines.
O’ROURKE: Picked it up in Des Moines airport.
MEYERS: Wow, hard-hitting stuff, you guys. [Laughter] “Did you use Hertz or Avis? Answer the question!” [Laughter] “Will you release your minivan returns?!” [Laughter]
(...)
