MSNBC and Other Media Embarrasses Themselves in Coverage of Sham Trump Trial, w/ Victor Davis Hanson

Megyn Kelly
6 May 202411:22

Summary

TLDRIn this detailed account, MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell discusses his observations of Donald Trump during the latter's trial. O'Donnell highlights the moment when Trump made eye contact with him, which he found significant and reported by the New York Times. The host also addresses Trump's subsequent avoidance of eye contact, suggesting it was a deliberate act following advice. O'Donnell further criticizes the media's focus on itself and discusses Hope Hicks' testimony, questioning her emotional response on the stand. He also touches on the broader implications of campaign finance violations and compares the treatment of Trump's case to that of Hillary Clinton's. The summary concludes with a call for viewers to consider the stability of gold as an investment in uncertain economic times, promoting Birch Gold as a secure option.

Takeaways

  • 📺 Lawrence O'Donnell, an MSNBC host, attended Donald Trump's trial and discussed his interactions with Trump.
  • 👀 Trump made eye contact with O'Donnell on the first day of the trial, which O'Donnell found significant.
  • 📰 New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman noted Trump's unusual behavior towards O'Donnell in her live updates.
  • 🎭 O'Donnell interpreted Trump's expressions and actions in the courtroom, suggesting they were influenced by his presence.
  • 🚫 O'Donnell criticized Trump for making courtroom mistakes, implying these led to his presence in criminal courtrooms.
  • 🤔 The next day, Trump avoided eye contact with O'Donnell, which O'Donnell suggested was due to good advice.
  • 📈 O'Donnell mocked Trump's hubris, questioning why Trump would consider him noteworthy or impactful.
  • 💭 Hope Hicks, a former Trump aide, testified during the trial, acknowledging Trump's awareness of hush money payments.
  • 😢 Hope Hicks cried during her testimony, which was speculated to be due to the stress of testifying against her former boss.
  • 🤔 The defense may argue the purpose of the payments was personal rather than campaign-related, thus not a campaign finance violation.
  • 💼 The nature of the payment is central to the legal argument, with the prosecution focusing on Trump's knowledge and motivation.

Q & A

  • Who is Lawrence O'Donnell and what is his significance in the context of the script?

    -Lawrence O'Donnell is the host of a prime time show on MSNBC. In the script, he discusses his experience attending the Trump trial and his interactions with Donald Trump, which he perceives as significant and worthy of reporting.

  • What did Lawrence O'Donnell mention about Donald Trump's behavior during the trial?

    -O'Donnell mentioned that Trump made eye contact with him on the first day of the trial, which he found noteworthy. The next day, Trump made a noticeable effort to avoid eye contact, which O'Donnell interpreted as a result of good advice.

  • What role did Hope Hicks play in the Trump trial?

    -Hope Hicks, a former campaign PR person and representative of Donald Trump, testified in the trial. She was compelled by the prosecution to give testimony, during which she acknowledged that Trump knew about the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

  • Why did Hope Hicks cry during her testimony?

    -The script does not provide a specific reason for Hope Hicks' emotional reaction, but it suggests that the stress of testifying against her former boss, the spotlight, and the pressure of the situation could have contributed to her tears.

  • What was the significance of Hope Hicks' testimony regarding Melania Trump?

    -Hicks testified that Trump was worried about Melania's reaction to women coming forward, implying that his concern for his wife's opinion played a significant role in his actions, which the defense might argue had a dual purpose and were not solely campaign expenditures.

  • What was the argument presented by the defense regarding the nature of the payment to Stormy Daniels?

    -The defense argued that the payment to Stormy Daniels had a dual purpose and was not solely a campaign expenditure. They suggested that the nature of the payment could be something other than a campaign expense, thus not constituting a campaign finance violation.

  • How did Lawrence O'Donnell react to the idea that Donald Trump might be watching his show?

    -O'Donnell expressed skepticism, stating that it was unlikely Trump was watching his show and that even if he was, it was irrelevant to the proceedings.

  • What was the criticism of the modern-day press corps as presented in the script?

    -The criticism was that the modern-day press corps, particularly those on left-leaning television, are narcissistic and make situations about themselves rather than focusing on the actual issues at hand.

  • What was the context of the advertisement for Birch Gold mentioned in the script?

    -The advertisement for Birch Gold was presented as a way to secure one's savings through a tax-sheltered IRA in physical gold, which is suggested as a stable investment that can withstand economic instability.

  • What was the reaction of the New York Times reporter, Maggie Haberman, to Trump's behavior in the courtroom?

    -Maggie Haberman reported on Trump's behavior of looking at Lawrence O'Donnell, which she found newsworthy and indicative of a 'final moment in the courtroom.

  • How did the script characterize the relationship between Donald Trump and the New York Times?

    -The script characterized the relationship as contentious, with the New York Times being accused of bias against Trump and promoting false narratives about him, such as the Steele dossier and Russian collusion.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Lawrence O'Donnell's Monologue on Trump's Trial

In this segment, Lawrence O'Donnell, the host of a prime time show on MSNBC, discusses his experience at Donald Trump's trial. He expresses delight over Trump making eye contact with him on the first day. O'Donnell shares his interpretation of Trump's expressions and speculates on the reasons behind Trump's behavior. He also mentions a report by Maggie Haberman from the New York Times, which described Trump's odd squinting at him. The summary touches on O'Donnell's belief that Trump's actions in the courtroom are indicative of his tendency to make mistakes, which have led to his presence in criminal courtrooms. The narrative also includes O'Donnell's commentary on the second day of the trial, where he notes that Trump made a clear effort not to look at him, suggesting that Trump had received advice after the first day's events. The paragraph concludes with O'Donnell's critique of the modern press, accusing them of making situations about themselves and highlighting the perceived bias of the New York Times towards Trump.

05:00

📜 Hope Hicks' Testimony and Its Implications

This paragraph focuses on Hope Hicks, a long-time campaign PR person and representative for Donald Trump, who testified during his trial. Hicks confirmed that Trump was aware of the hush money payment made to Stormy Daniels, a point the prosecution aimed to establish. The speaker believes that the true significance of this acknowledgment is debatable, as the defense may argue the dual purpose of the payment, implying it was not solely a campaign expenditure. The discussion then shifts to the emotional aspect of Hicks' testimony, particularly her moment of crying on the stand. The speaker speculates on the reasons for her emotional response, suggesting the stress of testifying against a former boss and the pressure of the situation. The summary also includes commentary from other MSNBC figures, such as Ari Melber, who emphasized the human element of the trial and the potential impact of Hicks' display of emotion on the jury. The paragraph ends with a critique of the focus on personal emotions during trials and a comparison to the actions of Hillary Clinton in a different context.

10:02

💰 Economic Stability and the Role of Gold Investments

The final paragraph is a promotional advertisement for Birch Gold Group, focusing on the stability of gold as an investment during economic uncertainty. It suggests that traditional savings can be vulnerable to inflation, economic crashes, and unstable markets, but gold has historically retained its value. The advertisement highlights a tax loophole that allows individuals to convert their retirement accounts into a tax-sheltered IRA backed by physical gold. The ad encourages viewers to text 'MK' to a given number to claim a free info kit on gold investments, positioning it as a secure financial strategy for the future.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Lawrence O'Donnell

Lawrence O'Donnell is the host of a prime time show on MSNBC. In the video script, he is depicted as being gleeful about having made eye contact with Donald Trump during the trial. His reaction and subsequent monologues about the incident are central to the narrative, illustrating the theme of media figures becoming personally involved in the events they cover.

💡Donald Trump

Donald Trump is a former President of the United States who is mentioned as being on trial in the script. His interaction with Lawrence O'Donnell, including making eye contact and later avoiding it, is a key element of the story. The discussions around Trump's actions in the courtroom and the implications for his case form a significant part of the video's content.

💡Trump trial

The 'Trump trial' refers to the legal proceedings involving Donald Trump. It is the setting for the interactions between Trump and O'Donnell and is the backdrop for the entire video script. The trial is significant as it is the context in which the media and Trump's behavior are being scrutinized and discussed.

💡Maggie Haberman

Maggie Haberman is a reporter for the New York Times who is mentioned in the script as having reported on Trump's behavior in the courtroom. Her role highlights the media's coverage of the trial and the influence of such reporting on public perception and the trial's participants.

💡Hope Hicks

Hope Hicks is a former White House Communications Director and Trump campaign advisor who testified during the trial. Her testimony and emotional response on the stand are discussed in the script, illustrating the personal and emotional toll of participating in high-profile legal proceedings.

💡Hush money payment

The 'hush money payment' refers to a financial transaction that is part of the legal case against Trump. It is mentioned as something that Hope Hicks testified Trump acknowledged, and it is a point of contention regarding whether it was a campaign finance violation or not.

💡Melania Trump

Melania Trump, the former First Lady of the United States, is mentioned in relation to Donald Trump's concern about how the allegations and trial might affect her. This reference is used to humanize Trump and provide insight into his motivations as presented by the defense.

💡Campaign expenditure

The term 'campaign expenditure' is used to discuss the legal implications of the hush money payment. It is a key point in the debate over whether the payment was made for political reasons or personal ones, which has significant bearing on the nature of the charges against Trump.

💡Nicole Wallace

Nicole Wallace is an MSNBC host who is quoted in the script, expressing a view on the perceived narcissism of media figures. Her comments are used to critique the focus on personal relevance and importance that some media personalities may exhibit.

💡Modern-day press corp

The 'modern-day press corp' is a term used in the script to describe the current state of the media, particularly in their coverage of political events. The phrase is employed critically, suggesting that the media often makes events about themselves rather than focusing on the substantive issues.

💡Birch Gold

Birch Gold is a company mentioned in the script that offers a service related to investing in gold. The mention of Birch Gold serves as an advertisement within the script, highlighting an alternative investment strategy amidst discussions about economic stability and the reliability of different asset types.

Highlights

Lawrence O'Donnell, the MSNBC host, attended the Trump trial and was excited that Trump made eye contact with him.

O'Donnell interpreted Trump's look as a significant moment worthy of New York Times reporting.

O'Donnell suggested Trump made a mistake by acknowledging him in the courtroom.

On the following day, Trump made an effort not to look at O'Donnell.

O'Donnell speculated that Trump received advice not to engage with him after the first day.

O'Donnell criticized Trump for his hubris, assuming he was thinking about him.

O'Donnell mocked Trump's audience size and the attention he received from the New York Times.

Hope Hicks, Trump's former PR representative, testified that Trump acknowledged a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

Hicks suggested Trump was more concerned about his wife Melania's opinion than the campaign.

The defense is expected to argue that the payments were not solely campaign expenditures.

O'Donnell questioned the focus on Trump's motivations rather than the nature of the payment.

Hope Hicks cried during her testimony, possibly due to the stress of testifying against her former boss.

MSNBC's Ari Melber discussed Hicks' emotional display and its potential impact on the jury.

O'Donnell expressed indifference to Hicks' emotional state, questioning her empathy during the Trump administration.

O'Donnell drew a comparison between the Trump case and Hillary Clinton's handling of campaign expenses.

A promotion for Birch Gold, discussing the stability of gold as an investment during economic uncertainty.

The promotion suggests converting retirement accounts into a tax-sheltered IRA in physical gold through Birch Gold.

Transcripts

00:00

so this is Lawrence O'Donnell who hosts

00:02

a prime time Show on MSNBC who

00:05

apparently attended the Trump trial last

00:07

Wednesday and Thursday or Thursday and

00:09

Friday whatever and was

00:13

absolutely gleeful about the fact that

00:17

Trump looked at him that Trump made eye

00:21

contact with him on day one so this was

00:23

his Thursday evening monologue in part

00:27

and just just cons consume it take a

00:30

listen St 12 at 4:26 p.m. today Maggie

00:35

hberman posted this to the New York

00:37

Times live update of the Trump trial

00:40

Trump left the courtroom squinting

00:43

strangely at laen sod the MSNBC host as

00:46

he did and Visually there was just

00:48

nothing between Donald Trump and me in

00:51

that row and I have my interpretation of

00:54

what Donald Trump's face and eyes were

00:57

trying to say to me and what drove him

01:00

to create a final moment in the

01:03

courtroom today that was worthy of New

01:05

York Times reporting Oris Epstein was

01:07

sitting right in front of me and knew I

01:11

was there he should have told Donald

01:13

Trump when you walk by O'Donnell don't

01:15

give him the satisfaction of making a

01:18

moment about him but defendants like

01:22

Donald Trump always make mistakes in

01:25

courtrooms and

01:27

mistakes are what has landed Donald

01:29

Trump

01:30

in criminal

01:34

courtrooms all right just stand by

01:36

here's part two okay the next day he

01:39

returned to court and here's part of the

01:41

monologue from Friday

01:42

night I guess because Donald Trump does

01:46

apparently whatever I tell him to do he

01:49

did not glare at me again I said right

01:53

here on the program last night that it

01:55

was a mistake for him to do that he

01:57

shouldn't have done that in such a goofy

02:00

and public way that Maggie Haberman at

02:03

the New York Times felt compelled to

02:05

report it right away no one in the

02:07

courtroom had seen Donald Trump do

02:10

anything like that

02:12

today even though I was sitting in an

02:14

even more prominent position he did

02:17

everything he could possibly do to not

02:21

look at me within his peripheral vision

02:24

because whenever his peripheral vision

02:26

got close he immediately Twisted it away

02:29

in the other direction he just wasn't

02:31

going to give me that gift again he made

02:35

such an effort yesterday to look at me

02:38

that today's effort not looking at me

02:42

was just as obvious I don't think he was

02:44

afraid I think he just got good

02:47

advice right here at 10 p.m. last

02:51

night oh my God Victor the hubris the

02:56

hubris that Donald Trump is sitting

02:58

there thinking for 10 seconds or two

03:01

about Lawrence

03:04

odonnell Donald Trump is looking around

03:07

and if he did notice him he said who in

03:08

the hell is that guy I have no idea who

03:10

he is and he knows that I mean he he's

03:14

he has a very small audience who nobody

03:16

knows who he is and yet he tries to

03:18

quantify the precise time at this time

03:21

in 10 o'clock as if he's if and and then

03:24

when he quotes the New York

03:26

Times a reporter everybody knows who

03:29

what the record of the New York Times

03:30

has been especially in relation to

03:32

Donald Trump they were the ones that

03:34

told us that the steel dossier was

03:36

Russian collusion that the laptop was

03:39

Russian disinformation they told us

03:41

about the B the bank ping they're

03:43

notorious for lying on any context that

03:46

has to do with Donald Trump they despise

03:48

him and they want Joe Biden to be

03:50

elected so Donald Trump doesn't he

03:51

doesn't even know who the guy is and yet

03:53

it's it's really you know Nicole Wallace

03:55

was kind of the same way she said if

03:58

Trump is elected people like me won't be

04:00

on the air no they don't care about you

04:03

you people are they're such narcissists

04:05

they think they're so important because

04:08

they're actually left winging on

04:10

television who cares nobody cares and I

04:12

don't

04:15

think on it he wouldn't know who he was

04:18

he was so

04:19

excited to see his name Lawrence

04:22

O'Donnell in the New York Times that

04:24

they wrote about me me he for the

04:26

listening audience he spotlighted his

04:28

own face in the Trump Trump Courthouse

04:30

audience way the hell behind Donald

04:32

Trump like I was there he I swear he was

04:35

looking at me I matter this is what's so

04:38

pathetic about the modern-day press Corp

04:41

that's to a te they make it all about

04:45

themselves and then another clip in that

04:47

same monologue one of those nights he

04:49

said that he's sure Donald Trump is

04:52

watching the lawence O'Donnell show he's

04:55

been known to watch it and then he's

04:57

watch okay that's not happening

05:00

no no one's watching that show no no

05:03

maybe Maggie hberman of the New York

05:04

Times so then substantively what

05:06

happened last week was hope H Hicks took

05:08

the stand longtime um campaign PR person

05:12

and representative of Donald Trump when

05:14

he was running and when he was in the

05:16

White House and she gave testimony she

05:19

was you know compelled to give testimony

05:21

by the prosecution and she said that uh

05:25

she does think she does recall Trump

05:28

acknowledging that Cohen had made this

05:31

hush money payment to Stormy Daniels so

05:34

that's something the the prosecution is

05:35

trying to prove that Trump knew about it

05:37

my own take is doesn't matter but the

05:39

defense is I guess going to argue this

05:42

um but then she also said she thinks the

05:45

reason uh that Trump was worried about

05:47

these women coming forward was yeah the

05:50

campaign a little but much more so

05:51

Melania he cares very much what Melania

05:54

thinks this is the defense is going to

05:57

say see the payments had a dual purpose

05:58

and therefore they weren't campaign

05:59

expenditure the real argument should be

06:01

it doesn't matter what was in Trump's

06:03

head the only thing that matters is what

06:04

the nature of the payment is is the

06:06

nature of the payment such that it can

06:07

only ever be a campaign expense like a

06:09

polling fee or is the nature of the

06:11

payment something that could possibly be

06:14

something other than a campaign

06:15

expenditure and this particular payment

06:17

falls into Category 2 which means it's

06:18

not a campaign Finance violation anyway

06:21

they're they're proceeding with this

06:22

myth that we have to get into the

06:24

purpose and Donald Trump's motivation

06:26

both sides are proceeding with it

06:27

because of the judge's rulings and hope

06:29

Hicks talked about how he was worried

06:30

about Melania well the left-wing freak

06:33

out over the fact that when hope Hicks

06:35

ended her campaign or her her direct

06:37

exam with the prosecution and the

06:39

defense lawyer stood up and started

06:41

asking her some biographical background

06:43

like how long did you work for the Trump

06:45

organization she cried she broke down

06:48

for a moment in tears and they took a

06:50

short break now I don't know why hope

06:52

Hicks cried but I imagine it's very

06:54

stressful to get up there and testify

06:56

against your former boss the president

06:58

of the United States and you don't want

06:59

to be there you've been forced by a

07:01

prosecutor you probably believe is

07:03

unfair and you don't want to be in the

07:06

spotlight like this she's she never

07:07

gives interviews she doesn't go on TV

07:09

this is not somebody who wants the

07:11

spotlight I'm sure it was stressful

07:13

whatever here's some of the armchair

07:15

analysis we got take a listen to earlier

07:18

on MSNBC Ari melur and his

07:22

take she said she was nervous today from

07:24

the stand she answered the questions

07:26

confirming she's under subpoena she's

07:27

paying for her own lawyer and and in a

07:30

moment that does matter for a jury this

07:32

is still a human exercise hope hick

07:35

broke down crying on the stand at one

07:38

point it was apparently best we can tell

07:41

and from the reporters in the room and

07:42

the wider context we have uh genuine

07:45

display of emotion for her as she felt

07:47

the weight of this moment the raw

07:49

pressure of testifying about her

07:51

longtime boss and maybe the details were

07:53

tough for her to share in this manner

07:59

now she goes on he goes on from there to

08:02

discuss on his show about how you know

08:04

bringing up that time of like when she

08:07

was working for Trump was just so

08:09

emotional for her you know like oh the

08:12

better days the good old day like how

08:14

the hell does anybody know they tried to

08:17

turn it into Andrew Weisman was up there

08:19

it was the exclamation point it was the

08:21

icing on the cake her raw emotion it was

08:24

like okay calm down testifying is a

08:28

stressful situation everyone wanted to

08:30

use it for their own purposes against

08:32

her and the final comment on Lawrence

08:34

O'Donnell show which I watch so you

08:36

don't have to was I don't care why she

08:39

cried I don't care what did she cry on

08:42

January 6th did she cry for the

08:44

immigrants and the families who were

08:46

separated for by Donald Trump during his

08:48

administration I don't care why she

08:50

cried if she didn't cry for

08:53

them yeah she she might she could have

08:57

just as easily cried than the fact that

08:59

she liked Donald Trump and she was

09:01

subpoenaed to testify by an attorney who

09:05

was going to try to warp and change and

09:08

extract any type of meaning that would

09:10

be unfavorable to Donald Trump and she

09:12

knew she was in that position where she

09:14

had to testify and she was trying to

09:16

tell the truth as she saw the truth and

09:18

she understood that everything she said

09:20

would be used against someone whom she

09:23

didn't feel had done anything wrong and

09:25

she didn't want to come forward because

09:27

he hadn't done anything wrong that's

09:29

kind of a stressful situation but uh you

09:33

know this this we get back to the equal

09:37

application of law Hillary Clinton hired

09:40

the DNC to pay the Perkins COI Law Firm

09:45

to pay Fusion GPS to pay Christopher

09:49

steel who was a British subject a

09:51

foreign National who was forbidden by

09:53

Statute to to work for a presidential

09:55

campaign to collect a false dossier and

09:58

Seed it

09:59

and then she wrote that whole thing off

10:01

not as a campaign expense but as a legal

10:05

expense in the federal com uh commission

10:08

overseeing elections find her over

10:11

$100,000 but they could have easily said

10:13

it was a criminal statute like Alvin

10:15

brag can your savings weather an

10:18

economic storm think about what you've

10:20

put away for the future inflation can

10:22

render cash worthless real estate can

10:25

crash like it did in '08 economies built

10:28

on a mountain of debt can fall like a

10:29

house of cards there are very few

10:32

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10:51

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