Krauthammer in Heated Debate with Ingraham over Trump Presser [Full Exchange]
RUSH EXCERPT:
HEMMER: "Laura, what did you think? Was he defending, explaining?"
INGRAHAM: "I like to think about it this way. Is he advancing his agenda with what happened this afternoon? I will say when you had Gary Cohn talk about hitting the ground running on tax reform, spent the whole day. I wanted to hear more. That's great. And then we got sidetracked on this horrific event over the weekend which he had made the statement about. That was really, really good. Could've been more specific on Saturday but when he said we it must love each other, show affection, unite together. It was great yesterday. Today he is really torched about people conflating trump support with white nationalists. You can see it and hear it in his responses, and I understand that. He's not there to win every debating point. People want to see a calm president in the storm. I think today, he made some points that were factually rights. There was violence on both sides in that event Saturday. Anyone who watched the video could see it. He's not there to win every point. He is there to calmly guide the nation through what at the moment is a very troubled time. Advance an agenda of economic empowerment, streamlining regulations, and keeping very optimistic and positive about the American spirit. When he does that, I think it's really positive. Today I think he got caught in the pundit trap."
KRAUTHAMMER: "To critique what he did today on the grounds that it distracts from the agenda or was a tactical mistake, I believe is a copout. What trump did today was a moral disgrace. What he did is reverted back to where he was on Saturday. Made it very clear that what he read on Sunday was -- or Monday, two days later, was a hostage take. Clearly reading off a prompter, saying these denunciations by name of the KKK et cetera. That wasn't trump speaking. That was the AIDS speaking. The reason it's a moral disgrace is this generation, for the last 50, 60 years, all the modern presidents. Woodrow Wilson, you could say was exempt. They understood it was something unique about the history of slavery and racism in this country that we had to cure this original sin. It was not cured by the civil war, as Lincoln had hoped, because it was followed by 100 years of state-sponsored oppression. The quality of rights, this generation, the last 50 years have done a splendid job and redeeming itself. What trump is missing here is the uniqueness of white supremacy, KKK, nazism. Yes, there were bad guys on both sides. That's not the point. This was instigated, instituted, the riots began over a Nazi riot riot, Nazi rally. The only killing here occurred by one of the pro-nazi people."
HEMMER: "If you're looking for nuance, from this president come he's not going to give you nuance."
KRAUTHAMMER: "I am not asking for nuance."
HEMMER: "You may not like what they are saying and it's hate speech and you can disagree but we fought and died for it."
INGRAHAM: "Racism is evil. Those who engage in violence are criminals and thugs. Charles assange Donald Trump doesn't mean that. If you are going to say Donald Trump is racist or stupid who is doing a hostage take, I guess you can tell our viewers that. I resent what you said it was a copout what I said. To critique what he did today is what we were asked to do. I'm not going to pass moral judgment on whether Donald Trump is morally on the same plane as you are, Charles. I'm sure you are a better person than he has. He had a moment today where he could have been calm and could have gone through the facts of what happened again if necessary address the issue of the day which is to get this infrastructure going in this country. Getting caught in the trap of the left which is what the media wants us to do is not going to help a single black person get a job, a single Hispanic person have a better life. We have to be honest about the evil of racism and also honest about the evil of the far left that is trying to tear down history and intimidate free speech in the country. That's not defending neo-nazis, not defending white supremacists, stating a fact about antifa."
KRAUTHAMMER: "I never said he was defending neo-nazis. We are not discussing jobs, we are not discussing an agenda. We are discussing the unique role of a president of speaking for the moral conscience of a country going all the way back to Abraham Lincoln. Not comparing him to me. Comparing him to his great predecessors and to the modern predecessors who, on occasions like this, would rise to the occasion, speak on behalf of Americans, and denounce unequivocally --"
