Despite journalists saying otherwise, Donald Trump really is their favorite topic. This was proven again on Tuesday as Tim Scott appeared on CBS Mornings to talk about his new book, but the hosts of the show fixated on Trump. Eleven of the 16 questions to the Republican senator were about the ex-President before finally getting to the book.
The co-hosts demanded some fixed, categorical declaration, either unquestioning love for Trump or total repudiation. Those seem to be the only options some journalists will accept.
Here's the exchange:
TONY DOKOUPIL: So, I have to put the question to you. Do you still feel he is the best representative of the Republican Party?
SCOTT: He certainly is the largest voice in American politics, period. Republican or Democrat and it looks like he'll continue to be. The more focus you put on him, the more likely the supporters will rally around him. There's a huge divide in our country.
GAYLE KING: Wait a second. Before you go, senator. That wasn’t the question.
DOKOUPIL: You said largest, which is objectively true. He won a straw poll at CPAC.
KING: Do you think best?
SCOTT: Well, I mean, the good news is I get to answer the question how I see the question.
Senator Scott’s zing clearly showed he wasn’t willing to pay that game. Co-host Nate Burleson wanted the Republican to play judge and jury on the FBI raiding Trump’s home:
NATE BURLESON: So you don’t have any concern that they are going to find anything at the Mar-a-Lago —
SCOTT: As opposed to rushing to judgment? The most important thing we can do is let it play out.
Finally, at the end of the interview, they turned to Scott’s new book, one about the greatness of America. Here’s the senator on the progress America has made:
BURLESON: This book is entitled America: A Redemption Story. This is a great country, but we’ve had some dark times. Where are we in our redemption journey as a country?
SCOTT: Thank God we're on the right path. The past 50 years have been the best. Think about the fact we've suffered through a Civil War. We had the Jim Crow south. My grandfather was born in 1921 and I talk a lot about his journey in the book. We also had the 1960s, challenging in the '70s, Rodney King in the '90s. Comparatively speaking on, we're in a far better position than we have been. We're not finished with the journey.
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A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
CBS Mornings
8/9/2022
8:03:30 to 8:11:59TONY DOKOUPIL: We're joined now by Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. He's here because he is the author of a new book. It’s called America: A Redemption Story. Senator, good morning.
SENATOR TIM SCOTT: Good morning.
DOKOUPIL: It's a good read. I think it’s going to connect with a lot of people. It’s got two chapters on the former president, President Trump. You clearly have a good relationship with him and he was nice to your mom.
SCOTT: Yes.
DOKOUPIL: But we’re at this extraordinary moment in American history when that former president is the subject of multiple investigations and his home was searched by the FBI overnight. So, I have to put the question to you. Do you still feel he is the best representative of the Republican Party?
SCOTT: He certainly is the largest voice in American politics, period. Republican or Democrat and it looks like he'll continue to be. The more focus you put on him, the more likely the supporters will rally around him. There's a huge divide in our country.
GAYLE KING: Wait a second. Before you go, senator. That wasn’t the question.
DOKOUPIL: You said largest, which is objectively true. He won a straw poll at CPAC.
KING: Do you think best?
SCOTT: Well, I mean, the good news is I get to answer the question how I see the question. The truth is he is, without question, the most powerful voice in all of politics and that's why so many people left and right continue to focus on President Trump.
DOKOUPIL: But why this is such a dangerous moment in our history and a lot of people have pointed this out is because we are divided. There are wings of our government that are non-partisan but now they're divided. One of the wings is the FBI. So, do you still believe and trust in the FBI to do its job even with the former president in a non-partisan way, or do you believe as the former president says the FBI is executing a witch hunt?
SCOTT: We've had the FBI before, the Judiciary Committee, in the last few weeks, trying to figure out why they do what they do and there have been questions whether the FBI is doing their job apolitical. And we don’t know the answer to that question yet.
DOKOUPIL: You have doubts about the FBI.
...
NATE BURLESON: So you don’t have any concern that they are going to find anything at the Mar-a-Lago —
SCOTT: As opposed to rushing to judgment? The most important thing we can do is let it play out.
DOKOUPIL: I think it's interesting you said before today, you're not saying that former president trump is the best representative of the Republican Party and you're also not saying, don't worry, America, you can trust the FBI.
SCOTT: I am saying I love my new book and I’d like to have a conversation about why I believe in second chances.
KING: FBI director Chris Wray was appointed by Donald Trump, we should point that out too. But in your book you say when it comes to President Trump, rather than try to soften his hard edge, you found it best to utilize them. On January 6th you said it was a tragic day, culmination of individuals making bad choices. You do not hold Donald Trump in the book anyway, accountable to what happened on January 6th.
SCOTT: One of the reasons why your viewers would want to buy the book is to get that behind the scenes view of what actually happened at the Capitol as opposed to just hearing the media’s account for it. Most were not inside the United States Capitol. I was. We can feel what it feels like to be hunted. You find yourself rolling up your sleeves, taking your tie off, and literally asking yourself what weapon do I get to defend myself until I die?
KING: You talked about calming everyone down and saying, “Look, everyone, let’s just take a second.” But I want to go back to Donald Trump's role in it for just a second. He has taken no responsibility for it. On January 6th, you heard from rioters who said, “Look we went because he asked us to. We were there because he called us there. Doesn't the president have — don't his words have power and shouldn't he be more careful with his words.”
SCOTT: Yes.
KING: He was encouraging people that he knew were armed.
...
KING: Does the President have responsibility, too, senator?
SCOTT: Of course, of course. .
BURLESON: Some would say the most responsibility.
...
KING: It sounded terrifying. Can I talk about chapter five in the book? The headline is “Tim Scott for president.” I thought, “Oh, he's getting ready to tell us something.” Tim Scott the president, the beginning of chapter 5. Then you go on to say, it's president for high school. Tim Scott for president. Tim Scott for president. Then you go on to talk about a campaign you ran. It does raise the question. Many people think when you're writing a book like this, it's because you're thinking about running for president.
BURLESON: It certainly reads that way.
DOKOUPIL: Your publisher apparently felt that way. They wrote it in the front of the book in a message.
...
KING: I know you love South Carolina. Blah, blah, blah. People love South Carolina, blah, blah, blah.
SCOTT: And you love South Carolina too, Gayle.
KING: But, but, but. But what would it take for you to run for president?
...
BURLESON: This book is entitled America: A Redemption Story. This is a great country, but we’ve had some dark times. Where are we in our redemption journey as a country?
SCOTT: Thank God we're on the right path. The past 50 years have been the best. Think about the fact we've suffered through a Civil War. We had the Jim Crow south. My grandfather was born in 1921 and I talk a lot about his journey in the book. We also had the 1960s, challenging in the '70s, Rodney King in the '90s. Comparatively speaking on, we're in a far better position than we have been. We're not finished with the journey.
BURLESON: We have got a long way to go.
SCOTT: Without question. We’re also celebrating the fact that three of the four of us on this stage are African Americans. We're talking we've had an African American president, African American vice president. We’ve had a chief of staff who is an African American. We've had more success in the last 50 years than we had in the first 190 combined, so we should continue to focus on what needs to be done while celebrating what we've already accomplished together.
