Media Research Center director of media analysis Tim Graham joined the Monday edition of Fox Business Network’s Cavuto: Coast to Coast to discuss Sunday’s American Music Awards (AMAs) and Graham blasted the liberal celebrities mocking President-elect Donald Trump and wife Melania Trump for “doubling down” on the fact that they’re not in touch with the American people.
“[T]he American people are tired of multi-millionaire supermodels and Broadway stars telling them that they're in touch with the common people. Earth to you people, you're not in touch,” stated Graham at one point to host Neil Cavuto.
Graham first told Cavuto that “it’s more of the same” in the mold of supermodel Gigi Hadid offering an arguably offensive impression of Mrs. Trump during the AMAs even though “the American people basically said” on November 8 that “we don't need lecturing from you wealthy celebrities and supermodels about which way to vote.”
Cavuto agreed and added the clear point that this served as yet another example of a double standard in the media that they’d react differently if celebrities were mocking Democrats:
I always think be the it were reversed and it were Trump loyalists doing this in the face of a Hillary Clinton victory, man, oh, man, you'd never hear the end of it and how they would be constitutional anarchists, sore losers, and etc., etc.
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As for whether or not Trump should stop tweeting attacks against his detractors and leave it to supporters, Graham opined that perhaps that might be the right move but, on the other hand, it’s this style that drew millions to Trump:
I think everyone who voted for Trump likes this and feels like he needs to, somebody needs to stand up for him. Maybe you have your surrogates stand up for him, and I'm sure they do, but, you know, again, the American people are tired of multi-millionaire supermodels and Broadway stars telling them that they're in touch with the common people. Earth to you people, you're not in touch.
The segment concluded with a brief moment on the media’s on-going obsession with the cast of Hamilton calling out Vice President-elect Mike Pence from the stage. Graham informed Cavuto that while the cast had every right to say what they did, it’s lunacy to say that it was “a dialogue” because “[a]s Larry O'Connor said today on Hot Air, it is a monologue, it is a lecture.”
The transcript from Graham’s appearance on FBN’s Cavuto: Coast to Coast from November 21 can be found below.
FBN’s Cavuto: Coast to Coast
November 21, 2016
1:14 p.m. Eastern[CLIPS FROM AMAs ATTACKING DONALD AND MELANIA TRUMP]
NEIL CAVUTO: And we didn't even include the Hamilton Broadway show there. So many opportunities but so little time. What to make of celebrities who are still not over an election that didn't go their way. Media Research Center director of media analysis Tim Graham. What do you make of this, Tim?
TIM GRAHAM: Yeah. It's more of the same. It's like the American people basically said we don't need lecturing from you wealthy celebrities and supermodels about which way to vote, and they're basically saying, hey, we're doubling down on this. We don't care if you don't like us.
CAVUTO: You know what's odd though is — I could almost see at a Broadway show, offensive as it is and offensive as it is targeting one person in the audience to lecture them, but the other stars still going on and on about an election that didn't go their way and I always think be the it were reversed and it were Trump loyalists doing this in the face of a Hillary Clinton victory, man, oh, man, you'd never hear the end of it and how they would be constitutional anarchists, sore losers, and etc., etc.
GRAHAM: Well, we can obviously imagine. Can you remember if Michelle Obama going to a NASCAR race if one of the drivers took a mic and said let me tell you what's wrong with you and your husband?
CAVUTO: Very good point.
GRAHAM: I don't think the news media would respond well to that or at the Grand Ole Opry.
CAVUTO: But the news media actually agrees with this. Hence the disproportionate coverage it gets and then lecturing Donald Trump for — for making a big deal of it. Now, they do raise the point as did Karl Rove here a little while ago that maybe Donald Trump shouldn't bother with this, maybe he should be tweeting about it, it's analogous to punching down, but it should be mentioned and it should be reflected on. I think, generally about how fair and right is that.
GRAHAM: It's funny how, yeah, obviously everybody's sort of saying to, you know, you're the incoming President, you probably shouldn't be on Twitter, you know, you probably shouldn't punch down, this is the handbook, you know? But on some level, I think everyone who voted for Trump likes this and feels like he needs to, somebody needs to stand up for him. Maybe you have your surrogates stand up for him, and I'm sure they do, but, you know, again, the American people are tired of multi-millionaire supermodels and Broadway stars telling them that they're in touch with the common people. Earth to you people, you're not in touch.
CAVUTO: You know, that's a good point. I mean, you think about it, if he feels the media — that is Donald Trump — is giving him a raw deal, go over the media, keep tweeting, I'm still wrestling with that issue on his part, but having said that, in the middle of all of this, I'm hearing that Howard Dean has just called Trump strategist Steve Bannon a Nazi. Quoting here, “he's a complicated guy.” This is Howard Dean, Tim. “He appoints a reasonable person who's much more conservative than I am, but for somebody who could talk to as a chief of staff and then his senior adviser is a Nazi.” He's talking there about Donald Trump and the choosing Bannon. What do you make of it? Because I always think that Nazis should be used for those who actually were Nazis and leave it at that.
GRAHAM: Well, it's Howard Dean, still screaming, still out of control, doesn't matter whether he's actually yelling or speaking calmly, he still sounds goofy. Obviously, this is what Politifact was supposed to be invented for. You know? They were supposed to pick out the facts and say that's at least half false and again, this kind of wild overstatement is absolutely accepted by the Politifacts and the fact checkers, and then, you know, when we complain, we are the fake news people.
CAVUTO: Well, you're right. Even The New York Times talking about what happened at the Hamilton show, that it's just exercising the America that made Donald Trump. You know? And that's their right.
GRAHAM: Well, I mean, again, but it's — that was not a dialogue. As Larry O'Connor said today on Hot Air, it is a monologue, it is a lecture. That's not a debate.
CAVUTO: You're right about that.
GRAHAM: That's the problem.
CAVUTO: You start fingering people in the audience who don't maybe share your I view or you don't like, that's a slippery slope right there. Thank you very much, Tim. Good seeing you again.
GRAHAM: Thanks.
