Trump delivers somber SCOTUS nomination and even liberal media offer reluctant praise

by Dan Gainor | February 1, 2017 12:02 am

It wasn’t flashy or sensational. Instead, President Donald Trump delivered a somber and solemn Supreme Court nomination is less time than it takes to drive a few blocks in D.C. during rush hour. And most of the media ate it up. Even US Weekly[1] was paying attention.

[2]

Damon Linker, senior correspondent for The Week, summed up what for many was reluctant praise[3]: “That was the most presidential seven minutes of Donald Trump’s presidency so far, and most normal.” Politico called the pick “Antonin Scalia 2.0,” hardly a phrasing designed to appease the left[4].

That positivity was a huge departure from what CNN’s Jim Acosta was expecting. Acosta, who had a big league run-in[5] with the president, was denied a question at Trump’s first big post-election press conference. Here the CNN senior white house correspondent summed up what was probably a popular media view: “We were expecting something a little bit more reality TV event here.”

Commentators were obviously impressed with what actually happened. “This is how it’s supposed to be done. I mean this is done to the T,” commented CNN’s Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash. New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor even noted that[6], “Barack Obama and Neil Gorsuch were in the same Harvard Law School class, graduating in 1991.”

Another CNN Political Analyst, David Gregory, was so complimentary that he got four-lettered Twitter pushback, which he then retweeted[7]. “Tonight represents a stroke of genius/obstruction by Senator McConnell who saw to it Judge Garland never got a hearing,” he wrote.

His response to the F-bomb tweet was quick[8]. “All you haters on twitter need to get out of your bubbles – not everyone thinks like you. I provide analysis. Take it or leave it.”

Naturally, the left was unhappy. Still smarting after the Merrick Garland snub[9], many liberals were glum or angry. Philadelphia Daily News columnist Will Bunch was both[10]. “2017: The year America became a dictatorship but ‘the optics were great,’” he lamented, retweeting a comment from Erik Wemple of The Washington Post.

CNN political commentator Keith Boykin[11] couldn’t get past the Garland nomination. “It doesn’t matter if Neil Gorsuch is qualified. Merrick Garland was too. Confirming Gorsuch would reward @GOP[12]‘s unprecedented obstruction,” he complained.

Lefty movie director Michael Moore reflected[13] the Hollywood reaction[14], mocking Trump’s planned announcement: “Oh no! Really?! What could it be? You’re stepping down?”

Former Star Trek actor George Takei blasted the nominee for his views, saying that “Religious based discrimination and abortion foes just got a boost.” Funny or Die host Billy Eichner hammered the Garland connection. “Gorsuch is extremely anti-LGBTQ and this is a #StolenSeat that belonged to Merrick Garland,” he tweeted[15].

Many others in the media simply used the high-profile event for sport, with the British press winning the day. The Guardian’s Ben Jacobs noted how Trump’s other likely choice hadn’t won much of anything[16]. “Congratulations to Thomas Hardiman on winning a set of steak knives.”

David Martosko[17], of The Daily Mail, joked about the speed of the announcement. “The bounce rate from these livestreams is going to be astronomical.”

Time’s Ryan Teague Beckwith gave the American snark, lamenting[18] the lost effort writing up Hardiman stories. “There’s a newspaper in heaven where your profile of Thomas Hardiman will be published.”

Dan Gainor is the Media Research Center’s Vice President for Business and Culture[19]. He writes frequently about media for Fox News Opinion. He can also be contacted on Facebook and Twitter as dangainor.

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Endnotes:
  1. US Weekly: https://twitter.com/MelissaAFrancis/status/826596652492406788
  2. [Image]: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/dgainor.jpg
  3. praise: https://twitter.com/DamonLinker/status/826598422773956612
  4. left: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/01/trump-gorsuch-supreme-court-scalia-20-214718
  5. big league run-in: http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/11/politics/acosta-says-trump-spokesman-threatened-to-expel-him-from-presser-cnntv/
  6. that: https://twitter.com/jodikantor/status/826600078051835904
  7. retweeted: https://twitter.com/davidgregory/status/826598382957424640
  8. quick: https://twitter.com/davidgregory/status/826604326009372673
  9. snub: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/democrats-merrick-garland-supreme-court_us_58911e44e4b02772c4ea1f68
  10. both: https://twitter.com/Will_Bunch/status/826604631358894080
  11. Keith Boykin: https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/826601982584553472
  12. @GOP: https://twitter.com/GOP
  13. Michael Moore reflected: https://twitter.com/MMFlint/status/826593784318275585
  14. reaction: http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/sarah-stites/2017/01/31/hollywood-whines-over-supreme-stolenseat
  15. he tweeted: https://twitter.com/billyeichner/status/826599851378909184
  16. anything: https://twitter.com/Bencjacobs/status/826597100771213312
  17. Martosko: https://twitter.com/dmartosko/status/826597401662279680
  18. lamenting: https://twitter.com/ryanbeckwith/status/826597748367642629
  19. Media Research Center’s Vice President for Business and Culture: http://www.mrc.org/

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