Posted on 30 November 2020
CNN’s New Day took a break from their feverish panicking over coronavirus and President Trump not conceding the election to taunt Melania Trump, Monday morning. Co-hosts John Berman and Alisyn Camerota relentlessly ridiculed and laughed at the First Lady over whether or not she likes Christmas decorations, even bringing their rival Fox News into the childish and mean-spirited mockery.
Contributor Kate Andersen Brower led the segment reporting on how Melania Trump wasn’t present for the unveiling of the White House’s Christmas decorations, this morning. She gossiped that must mean Mrs. Trump’s staff wanted to keep her away from the press asking her questions about coronavirus and the election. “She had an event today scheduled but it was canceled because of weather, but I think it's part of this broader effort to keep her out of sight,” Brower gushed.
But Camerota and Berman were itching to attack the First Lady over her former friend’s secretly recorded tapes where a frustrated Trump rants at how the media has demonized her and admits she doesn’t care about Christmas decorations. The New Day co-hosts eagerly played a partial clip before the journalists relentlessly mocked the First Lady as being part of Fox News’s “War on Christmas:”
CAMEROTA: [making face] That might have been a window into her feelings about Christmas decorations.
KATE ANDERSEN BROWER: Yeah right we've never heard anything like that from the First Lady. This is one of the traditional parts of the job. It's something they're expected to enjoy. She clearly feels under siege in the White House, and the tape goes on to talk about the children that were being held at the border, separated from their parents, and she goes on to defend that policy, in that phone conversation with her former friend, so yeah, I mean, Christmas, if anyone's heard that tape, they know that this is not something that she particularly enjoys, and it was a very controversial comment, and so I don't think they're eager to have her go out there talking about the Christmas decorations this year.
JOHN BERMAN: Isn't there a network, Alisyn that, devotes a month if not more of programming --
CAMEROTA: [laughing] To the war on Christmas?
BERMAN: To anyone, anyone who criticizes--You have to be into Christmas decorations, if not you're the Devil.
CAMEROTA: Absolutely and who is leading the war on Christmas if that is their battlecry at Christmas but I don't know. [laughing] I haven't heard if that network has pointed that out.
BERMAN: You have to be into Christmas decorations. If you're not, it's not American!
CAMEROTA: Of course, absolutely. You're leading the War on Christmas somehow. I don't know.
(A reminder, Camerota spent 16 years working at the network she now relishes attacking.)
But the mean gossip continued. Brower attacked the First Lady for her “Handmaid Tale” Christmas trees and her “trouble projecting warmth,” compared to other First Ladies:
ANDERSEN BROWER: Yeah I mean if you look at video from Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, they always are talking about Christmas very warmly, and there's the sense with Melania she had trouble with Christmas, don’t forget the red Christmas trees that people compared to the Handmaid's tale and all white Christmas decorations and the video showing her walking around that kind’ve looked like a perfume ad. It just wasn't warm and I think we have seen over the last four years she has so much trouble projecting warmth. And for some reason, she had not broken through in the way the other first ladies have.
Brower ended the interview floating a possible Melania memoir while gushing how the First Lady was secretly relieved to be leaving the White House. "[I] think she'll just be happy to leave. I don't think she liked her time in the White house clearly, and she was probably secretly relieved that, that he lost."
To really take in how dramatic a swing the media has taken in their coverage of First Ladies, can you imagine CNN or any other liberal news network mocking former First Lady Michelle Obama on just about...anything?
In fact their devotion to Michelle Obama borders on parody. Last May, Don Lemon ranted how Melania was dumber and less attractive than Michelle.
In September, journalists melted down over Mrs. Trump’s “neo-fascist” Rose Garden display, reminiscing how it looked “colorful and happy” under Mrs. Obama’s direction.
Read the relevant transcript below:
CNN New Day
11/30/2020
8:50:13-8:53:45 AM EST
ALISYN CAMEROTA: I'm also just not sure, Kate, that Christmas decorations are her thing or her interest And the reason I base that is the phone call her former best friend or close friend Stephanie Wilcox recorded, where they talk about the the First Lady’s role of decorating for Christmas and here is a portion of that.
[plays Wilcox tape]
CAMEROTA: [making face] That might have been a window into her feelings about Christmas decorations.
KATE ANDERSEN BROWER: Yeah right we've never heard anything like that from the First Lady. This is one of the traditional parts of the job. It's something they're expected to enjoy. She clearly feels under siege in the White House, and the tape goes on to talk about the children that were being held at the border, separated from their parents, and she goes on to defend that policy, in that phone conversation with her former friend, so yeah, I mean, Christmas, if anyone's heard that tape, they know that this is not something that she particularly enjoys, and it was a very controversial comment, and so I don't think they're eager to have her go out there talking about the Christmas decorations this year.
JOHN BERMAN: Isn't there a network, Alisyn that, devotes a month if not more of programming --
CAMEROTA: [laughing] To the war on Christmas?
BERMAN: To anyone, anyone who criticizes--You have to be into Christmas decorations, if not you're the Devil.
CAMEROTA: Absolutely and who is leading the war on Christmas if that is their battlecry at Christmas but I don't know. [laughing] I haven't heard if that network has pointed that out.
BERMAN: You have to be into Christmas decorations. If you're not, it's not American!
CAMEROTA: Of course, absolutely. You're leading the War on Christmas somehow. I don't know.
ANDERSEN BROWER: Yeah I mean if you look at video from Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, they always are talking about Christmas very warmly, and there's the sense with Melania she had trouble with Christmas, don’t forget the red Christmas trees that people compared to the Handmaid's tale and all white Christmas decorations and the video showing her walking around that kind’ve looked like a perfume ad. It just wasn't warm and I think we have seen over the last four years she has so much trouble projecting warmth. And for some reason, she had not broken through in the way the other first ladies have.
BERMAN: You have any sense at this point Kate of what happens after Jan. 20 for the First Lady?
ANDERSEN BROWER: You know I mean there's been talk of her writing a memoir and if history is any indication, that will sell very well. Um look at "Becoming" and other First Lady memoirs. I'm sure she'll be eager to make her own money and do something herself. But, you know, I think she'll just be happy to leave. I don't think she liked her time in the White house clearly, and she was probably secretly relieved that, that he lost.
CAMEROTA: Who knows but we do know how she feels about Christmas decorations.
BERMAN:Yeah I don't think it will be a coffee table book on Christmas decorations if she writes that.
CAMEROTA: [Chuckling] Wow! Kate Andersen Brower, thank you very much for the history lesson.