Commentary: Face off – The President Trump-Chris Wallace interview
Perspective, with a healthy dose of fair and feisty journalism turned up on TV Sunday morning when journalist Chris Wallace of Fox News interviewed President Trump on the patio outside the Oval Office of the White House. It wasn”™t live, it was taped Friday.
It wasn”™t the patented friendly Sean and Donald alternative reality show. It was real journalism, with the son of Mike Wallace, who himself went for the jugular in his interviews, conducting a polite and fact-checked interview.
Straight out of the gate, Wallace questioned the president”™s characterization of the coronavirus as “burning embers.” Wallace pulled out a chart and said there”™s 75,000 new cases in one day this past week. Trump replied with his tried and untrue mantra, “Chris, that”™s because we have great testing. We have the best testing in the world.”
“But these aren”™t burning embers, sir, this is a forest fire,” Wallace said.
“We have embers and we do have flames. Florida became more flame-like,” Trump said.
(One person”™s flame-like is another person”™s inferno, especially with 140,000 deaths and rising in the U.S.)
The president complained about the media not pointing out that other countries such as Mexico and Brazil have worst numbers. “Why don”™t they talk about Mexico, which is not helping us?” (Mexico, bad hombres, etc. You know what”™s next.) “And all I can say is thank God I built most of the wall. Because if I didn”™t have the wall up, we would have a much bigger problem with Mexico.”
“But sir, we have the seventh-highest mortality rate in the world. ”¦The European Union has us on a travel ban,” Wallace replied.
“Well we have them on a travel ban too, Chris. I closed them off.”
Leaning in, Trump said, “But when you talk about mortality rates, I think it”™s the opposite. I think we have one of the lowest.”
Wallace said, “We had 900 deaths on a single day this week.” Trump interrupted and turned to look off camera. He asked for the mortality rates ”“ “I heard we had the best mortality rates” ”“ and dutiful press secretary Kayleigh McEnany came in with papers. “Number 1 low mortality rate.” (Right there in black and white, Chris!)
Wallace looked bemused.
“I hope you show this scenario because it shows what fake news is all about.”
Gesturing to himself, Wallace said, “ OK, I don”™t think I”™m fake news.”
“Yeah you are,” Trump retorted, “You said we had the worst mortality rate in the world. We have the best.”
Since it was taped, Wallace was able to explain that Fox used numbers from Johns Hopkins University while the White House went with figures from the European CDC that was different.
And then again the cases. “Many of those cases shouldn”™t even be cases. Cases are up because we have the best testing in the world. ”¦We are the envy of the world.”
“ I”™m gonna do you a favor, because I”™m sure a lot of people listening right now are gonna say Trump, he tries to play it down; 75,000 cases a day”¦”
“I don”™t play it down. Show me the death chart.”
And then the president repeated what we”™ve all heard infinitum: “It was China, they let it out.”
The sinister and all knowing “they” turned up next: “They said it was the heat. The heat would get rid of it”
Wallace said, “This is one of the sharpest criticisms of you. People say you talk about the world as you would like to see it rather than follow the signs. Why on earth would your administration be involved in a campaign at this point to discredit Dr. Fauci who is the nation”™s top infection disease expert?”
The president said it was untrue and put the blame on “one person.” That of course was Peter Navarro who wrote an op-ed piece for USAToday, whose editors now regret having done so.
The interview was not quite combative as some have portrayed it, but more along the lines of a playground debate when one participant saying “Oh yeah!” when words fail or lies are exposed.
More unworthy or cringeworthy statements followed:
“I”™ll be right eventually.”
“Masks cause problems too.”
“Young people have to go to school. There”™s problems when they don”™t go to school.”
The mention of the spike in violence nationwide led the president to say that presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden wants to defund the police.
“Sir, he does not.”
He signed a charter with Bernie Sanders the president countered.
That”™s not true, Wallace said.
“Oh really? It says ”˜abolish.”™ It says ”˜defund.”™”™
“Get me the charter,” Trump said to his off-camera assistants.
Wallace said, “ I look forward to seeing that.”
The White House never found a charter with Biden saying he wants to defund the police.
The reveal of a new Fox News poll showing Biden ahead by 9 percentage points and Wallace”™s words, “At this point you”™re losing”¦” resulted in “First of all, I”™m not losing ”¦those are fake polls.”
And when some people go high, the president went low.
“Whoever does your Fox polls they are amongst the worst.”
Which out of the blue, led to this: “Biden can”™t put two sentences together.”
Playing the devil”™s advocate, Wallace asks, “Is Joe Biden senile?”
“I don”™t want to say that. I say he”™s not competent to be president. ”¦ Joe doesn”™t know he”™s alive.”
After a few more back-and-forths and light sparring, Wallace says in the Fox News poll they ask who”™s more competent, who”™s mind is sounder? Biden beats you in that.”
Trump replies: “Well, let”™s take a test. Let”™s take a test right now. ”¦ Let Joe take the same test that I took”¦” Wallace interrupts to say that he took the same test as Trump.
“It”™s not the hardest test. They have a picture and it says ”˜what”™s that”™ and it”™s an elephant.”
Trump interrupts, “That”™s all misrepresentation. Yes, the first few questions are easy. But I”™ll bet you couldn”™t even answer the last five questions.”
Wallace counters, “Well, the last one was count back from 100 by seven. Ninety-three.”
“I”™ll get you the test. ”¦But I can guarantee you that Joe Biden couldn”™t answer those questions.”
Wallace let the president have the last word.
“I did more than any president in history in the first three and a half years.”
(Yes, you have.)