From the August 26 edition of MSNBC’s MSNBC Live:
On MSNBC, RNC’s Sean Spicer Can’t Name A Single Inaccuracy From Clinton’s Speech Linking Trump To The “Alt-Right”
Stephanie Ruhle: “All Those Things That [Clinton] Laid Out That Donald Trump Has Said Or Done, Were Any Of Them Incorrect?”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
Video file
STEPHANIE RUHLE (HOST): I want to bring in Sean Spicer and really get his reaction to this. He's the communications director of the RNC. Sean, first I want to say thank you. Clearly you're in the hot seat. This is not the easiest interview for you to react to. But you listened to it. You heard Hillary Clinton detail essentially the reasons why one could say Donald Trump is a racist. What do you think about that?
SEAN SPICER: Well, honestly, I think it's somewhat desperate because, look, the Trump campaign is wrapping up probably the most successful second week that it’s had this cycle, and Clinton is having the second worst campaign, started off -- last week when they started having to defend the Iran hostage swap ransom money and then these allegations of the emails coming out, and more and more quid pro quo, pay for play with the Clinton Foundation, and so she is pivoting. And she’s now going to start attacking Donald Trump and making up things. Look at what -- I mean, literally is she? [She] put an ad yesterday trying to link white supremacists and racism, and this is sort of a new low – go ahead.
RUHLE: Hold on then. Whether -- Sean, whether it was a desperate act or not, all those things that she laid out that Donald Trump has said or done, were any of them incorrect?
SPICER: Well, I think the video that they put out yesterday was unbelievably over the top. I mean, I haven’t seen anything like that in 30 years of politics, and the idea that people don’t think that that’s unacceptable-- she went out, cherry-picked some supporters, some people that have attended rallies or are supporting Donald Trump. I mean, I could equally have walked through Philadelphia during the DNC and found a bunch of people that have way outlandish, far left-wing, crazy ideas, and done the same thing and made them answer for it, which I think we should probably do as well. I think the idea that they have gone to that level of desperation shows that they know that the polls are closing, and they know that their stale, status quo message isn’t resonating with the American people.
RUHLE: You don’t think, you don’t think --
SPICER: Look, this is a change election. Hold on, Stephanie. This is a change election, and I know that they are scared because the foundation and their scandals continue to pile up, and they know that that's not the message the American people want. She has hidden from the American people, she hasn’t given a press conference --
RUHLE: Sean, we’re going to talk about the foundation, but you don't think these acts, you don’t think these acts, you don’t think her tactic is in line with Donald Trump? Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton a bigot. That’s not desperate? Hold on.
[CROSSTALK]
RUHLE: If you're that saying that Hillary Clinton is pivoting, I would like you to not pivot. Donald Trump called her a bigot.
SPICER: No, I guess I'm not pivoting. What I’m saying is that Hillary Clinton says a lot of things about Donald Trump. She puts out a video associating him with outlandish things like the white supremacists and the KKK and tries to take that link, and then everyone says, well, look what Donald Trump says. At some point someone’s got to look at what Hillary Clinton not only said, but what she’s done and her record. She is pivoting because she recognizes this foundation is her Achilles heel.
[CROSSTALK]
RUHLE: Outlandish. Outlandish. It is not outlandish to go after Hillary Clinton's health? For Rudy Giuliani to say “Google Hillary Clinton and health.” That's not outlandish?
Previously: