--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Georgia Howe: In the aftermath of the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump, legacy media pundits are pointing the finger at the former president himself. There has been violence. The rhetoric has become more violent. We know that, frankly, rhetoric has been heated on certainly former President Trump's side.
--:-- John Bickley: How have Republicans responded to the media's portrayal of Trump?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, September 17th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: Despite the second attempt on his life, Trump stays the course on his campaign schedule, as Vice President Harris sits for a highly scrutinized interview.
--:-- Georgia Howe: My approach is about new ideas, new policies that are directed at the current moment.
--:-- John Bickley: Where does the race stand now that the debate dust has settled?
--:-- Georgia Howe: And CNN stuns with a lengthy fact check on a Harris campaign social page.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And now there's a special limited time deal for our listeners. Get up to 60% off your Babbel subscription at babbel.com slash wire. That's spelled B-A-B-B-E-L dot com slash wire for 60% off. Rules and restrictions may apply.
--:-- John Bickley: In the wake of a second assassination attempt against Donald Trump, many legacy media outlets are saying the former president's own political rhetoric is to blame. But conservatives say such commentary is itself irresponsible and harmful.
--:-- Megan Basham: So, Megan, it's hard to believe it's already been a couple of months since a gunman shot at President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Now we've got the second attempt on his life and we're seeing some media outlets and political figures suggesting that Trump brought this on himself.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What are they saying?
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, you know, I'll tell you, Georgia, it was pretty shocking to see some of the statements that came out immediately following gunman Ryan Ruth's arrest on Sunday.
--:-- [Sound bites from CNN, MSNBC, and NBC]
--:-- Megan Basham: Since Trump showed up, our politics have gone to crap.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, that characterized a lot of the rhetoric that we're hearing from legacy outlets.
--:-- Megan Basham: And if you'll hang with me a little bit here, Georgia, I want to walk listeners through just a few soundbites.
--:-- [Sound bites from CNN, MSNBC, and NBC]
--:-- Megan Basham: So, this was MSNBC anchor Alex Witt on Sunday evening, almost immediately after the assassination attempt, asking political analyst Elise Jordan if it proved that Trump needs to tone down his rhetoric.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Do you expect to hear anything from the Trump campaign about toning down the rhetoric, toning down the violence, or would that be atypical of the former president?
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, Alex, remember back to the assassination attempt on President Trump's life and how, you know, there was talk of a new tone. But then by the end of his convention speech, you know, we were kind of back to where we started.
--:-- [Sound bites from NBC]
--:-- Megan Basham: So, nowhere in that segment did they discuss the Democrats' political rhetoric.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And also on Sunday night, we had this from NBC anchor Lester Holt.
--:-- Megan Basham: Today apparent assassination attempt comes amid increasingly fierce rhetoric on the campaign trail itself Mr Trump his running mate J Vance continue to make baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Ohio
--:-- Georgia Howe: This was the same kind of commentary we heard after Trump was shot and fireman Corey Comprator was killed in Butler in July.
--:-- Megan Basham: For instance, the day after Butler, the Atlantic ran a piece that said that the, quoting here, bloodshed Trump has done so much to incite against others has touched him as well.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, it's reminiscent of the way the media condoned the riots and violence in 2020. Basically, those business owners had it coming and they better get on board with the movement or they could expect to see more.
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, absolutely.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And it's not hard to see why some GOP leaders like Missouri Senator Josh Hawley say the media is blaming the victim here.
--:-- Megan Basham: In fact, they say that it's rhetoric coming from legacy outlets that's comparing Trump to Hitler and Democrats frequently claiming he's a threat to democracy that's driving this political violence.
--:-- Georgia Howe: With the massive tax hikes proposed by Harris, you might be thinking it's time to make more of your savings tax-sheltered and inflation-sheltered. A gold IRA from the Birch Gold Group is the ultimate inflation hedge for your savings in uncertain times.
--:-- Megan Basham: And for one final month, it's your last chance, people. Birch Gold is offering the exclusive 24-carat gold-plated truth bomb on qualifying purchases.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But you need to text WIRE to 989898 to claim your eligibility before September 30th.
--:-- Megan Basham: Again, text WIRE to the number 989898 to claim your eligibility and make your purchase today.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: This week, with fewer than 50 days remaining until Election Day, Kamala Harris sat down for her first solo interview as Donald Trump continued to roll out new policy proposals.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here with more is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Hey, Cabot. So the dust has now settled from the debate. Where do things stand now?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, despite the fact that most polls showed that voters felt Kamala Harris won that debate, we've still yet to see much movement towards the VP.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A few national polls did show her gaining one or two points on Trump, but she's still well behind where Joe Biden was last election, who at this point in 2020 was leading Trump by around six points nationally.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And in the few post-debate battleground polls we've seen, it's actually Trump with the momentum.
--:-- Georgia Howe: For example, in Michigan, polling showed voters were more likely to say the debate made them switch from Harris to Trump than the other way around.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We also saw two post-debate polls from North Carolina, each with Trump ahead by at least two points.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And according to a new CNN report in Pennsylvania, the state that will likely decide this entire election, the Harris campaign says their internal polling, quote, looks rough.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So seven days post-debate, Harris may have gained a point or two nationally, but this race is still a toss-up.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So let's get to that highly publicized Kamala Harris interview from this weekend.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, normally a presidential candidate sitting down with the media would not be a national story, But this was Harris very first solo interview since becoming the nominee more than a month and a half ago
--:-- Georgia Howe: The VP spoke for about 10 minutes to a local news channel from Philly and sounded very similar to what we heard on the debate stage
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For example, at the debate, Harris really caught flack for not answering that opening question about whether Americans are better off now than they were four years ago.
--:-- Georgia Howe: She instead told an anecdote about growing up in a working class neighborhood.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, when she was asked a similar question this weekend about policies that would improve the economy, she again gave that exact same answer, nearly word for word.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I grew up a middle class kid. My mother raised my sister and me. She worked very hard. She was able to finally save up enough money to buy our first house when I was a teenager.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: I grew up in a community of hardworking people, you know, construction workers and nurses and teachers.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And I try to explain to some people who may not have had the same experience, you know, but a lot of people will relate to this.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: You know, I grew up in a neighborhood of folks who were very proud of their lawn, you know?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, it's worth noting, that version of Harris's answer is not what viewers saw. When ABC aired the interview, they actually cut out that entire 60-second anecdote and made it appear as if Harris responded far more directly to that question.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, for their part, the Trump campaign posted that interview in its entirety, saying, quote, our newest ad just dropped.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So it gives you an idea of how they felt she performed, that they wanted everyone watching for themselves.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, a notable move.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So let's get to Trump, who made some policy news of his own in recent days with a new proposal.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Tell us about that.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, while the Harris campaign has been infamously light on specific policies, Trump has seemingly rolled out a new proposal every week.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We've all by now heard of his plan to eliminate taxes on tips for service workers, which Harris adopted a few weeks later.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: He's now vowing to eliminate taxes on all overtime pay.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Speaking to supporters in Arizona, he argued the plan will raise take-home pay for workers and incentivize others to enter the workforce.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And that's not all. The former president has also announced a plan to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits as well.
--:-- Georgia Howe: When they first started taxing those benefits in 1983, only 10% of recipients were impacted. But today, half of all seniors on Social Security are being taxed on their benefits.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And while the plan could face opposition in Congress, especially among Democrats. Polling shows it is incredibly popular, particularly with older voters, a crucial and highly active voting bloc.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: The legacy media has portrayed Republicans and particularly Trump as being the main purveyors of so-called misinformation online.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But CNN has recently delivered a bit of a September surprise. They've given a lengthy fact check on Harris's rapid response team, the Kamala HQ account on X.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: Joining us to discuss is Daily Wire senior editor Virginia Kruta.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: So, Virginia, what exactly is this report on the Harris campaign about?
--:-- Virginia Kruta: Well, CNN's fact checker Daniel Dale, like most of the fact checkers employed by legacy media, has traditionally been far more likely to fact check Trump than anyone on the Democratic side.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But the Kamala HQ account has been caught posting deceptively edited videos on a number of occasions, and he's finally calling a few of them out.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: In one example, Kamala HQ claimed that Trump had forgotten where he was during a campaign rally, trying to suggest that he is in mental decline.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here's the clip the account posted.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: So, Pennsylvania, remember this when you have to go to vote?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, the account wrote in the post, he's in Arizona, suggesting a gaffe of sorts on the former president's part.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: But if you watch the uncut footage, you can see that wasn't the case at all.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here's the full clip in context.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: Likewise, the small 4 town of Charleroi Pennsylvania Have you heard of it Charleroi What a beautiful name but it not so beautiful now has experienced a 2000 increase in the population of Haitian migrants under Kamala Harris.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Pennsylvania, remember this when you have to go to vote.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: In another video edited by the Harris Campaign Associated Account, Trump appears to say, would that be okay, North Carolina, while at a rally in Pennsylvania?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Again, the theme here is that he's confused or in mental decline.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: But if you saw video from earlier in the rally, Trump made a point of saying that there was a group of supporters from North Carolina at that rally, and he was pointing to them when he mentioned North Carolina from the stage.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, a pattern of purposeful misrepresentations.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: Absolutely.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And it isn't just Trump who's targeted by the account. Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, is also presented in very deceptive ways.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: In one edited video, Vance had been asked a question about veterans' health care and whether or not he would consider privatizing it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here's that exchange, according to Kamala HQ.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: Yeah, I tried the VA system. I never walked back. And so I am curious to know, would you ever consider privatized healthcare for veterans?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I think I'd consider...
--:-- Virginia Kruta: But when put into context with the full clip, we see that Vance went on to elaborate much further.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I consider, and Donald Trump was really good at this, giving veterans more choice.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: Let's say you're in a rural hospital, Their closest VA is 120 miles away. Why force a veteran to drive two and a half hours to that VA facility when he can get cheaper and good care right in his backyard, right?
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, I think that there is areas where the VA actually works very well.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: So, I wouldn't say get rid of the whole thing. I would say give people more choice.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: CNN also caught Kamala HQ repeating debunked talking points, including one Harris actually said in the ABC presidential debate.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was the debunked Charlottesville, very fine people on both sides line.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: The Kamala HQ account posted the following video showing Trump speaking before a crowd in California.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Charlottesville, nothing was done wrong.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: The campaign went on to suggest that Trump was referring to the neo-Nazis and the counter-protesters who killed Heather Heyer, as if he was saying they did nothing wrong.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But once again, the full context shows that he was actually complaining about the ABC presidential debate and the moderators and saying that he did nothing wrong in terms of how he'd handled the question about Charlottesville.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: I don't think he had the right to correct me at all. Didn't correct her once. Like on Project 2025, I have no idea about it. It had nothing to do with me. He didn't correct her. He knew that. Charlottesville, nothing was done wrong. All you had to do is read my statement one more sentence and you would have seen that.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, it's amazing that an example of fair and balanced reporting from the legacy press is now so rare that it's newsworthy.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: Virginia, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Anytime.
--:-- [Closing music starts playing]
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know.
--:-- [Closing music continues to play]
--:-- Brandon: Hey guys, producer Brandon here. Black Rifle Coffee helps you wake up each morning feeling dialed in and ready to make the most of your day.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And now's your chance to get 20% off your purchase using code dailywire at blackriflecoffee.com.
--:-- Brandon: All of their explosive coffees are roasted right here in the USA by a veteran-led team of expert roasters obsessed with crafting the perfect cup of coffee.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Every Black Rifle purchase makes it possible for Black Rifle Coffee Company to help provide funding, training, and equipment to our nation's military and first responders.
--:-- Brandon: Head to their site now for 20% off your purchase with code dailywire.
