NBC News anchor Chuck Todd accused Vice President-elect Mike Pence and others involved with the incoming administration of using Americans’ distrust in the media “as a crutch” whenever they encounter tough questions.
Todd’s charge came during a fiery exchange on Sunday about President-elect Trump’s recent deal with Carrier, during which he asked Pence if giving tax incentives to the air-conditioning company to prevent 1,100 jobs from being moved to Mexico constituted government intervention “in the private sector.”
“No, no. What happened here —” Pence began to respond.
“Why is this is not government intervening in the private sector?” Todd asked again.
“Well, first off, let’s remember now more than a thousand Hoosiers have certainty in their jobs and in their futures going into this Christmas season because of the leadership of Donald Trump,” Pence said.
When Todd interjected to ask about the $7 million in tax breaks the state of Indiana, which Pence still governs, awarded to Carrier, the vice president-elect suggested Todd’s line of questioning demonstrated “the glass-is-half-empty tendency of many in the media.”
“No, it’s not about the media. … Hitting the media is always a crutch for you guys,” Todd shot back. “This is not about the media.”
Trump and Pence have both been highly critical of the mainstream media throughout the transition process, just as they were during the election cycle. Todd was among several other top news anchors and network executives who met with the president-elect at Trump Tower last month in a meeting that was later described as a “fucking firing squad” by at one attendee.
Trump has offered little insight into what his relationship will be like with the White House Press Corps once he takes office in mid-January. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a senior adviser to Trump, suggested last week that the president-elect ignore reporters during most of his presidency as a form of retaliation against the media for they way he was treated during his campaign.
