Trump to Hannity: ‘SNL,’ Madonna, and ISIS Are Bad
Sean Hannity looks at Donald Trump the way a golden retriever gazes at his master, with ardent longing and wet loyalty. The dog had his day on Thursday in an exclusive “Second After David Muir And ABC News” interview on Fox News’s Hannity. When Trump said for the 500th time that the media is “hostile … angry … very dishonest,” Hannity practically fell off his chair in his haste to give his assent: “I said journalism’s dead, so we agree!” (Indeed, Hannity exists weeknights at 10 to prove its host’s assertion.) A bit later, when the president brought up Iran, Sean chattered, “I actually agree with you wholeheartedly about the Iran deal.” Going to a commercial, Hannity said, “Coming up, Donald Trump takes me inside the Oval Office” in a tone that made it sound as though his favorite uncle was about to sneak him onto the big-boy roller coaster.
The hourlong interview was filled with Trump’s uniquely revealing locutions. Talking about his recent speech at the CIA Memorial Wall: “I paid great homage to the wall with the stars,” as though he were talking about a vertical version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. About the use of torture: “Waterboarding, I’m sure it’s not pleasant.” The Islamic State brought out the Jimmy Cagney in the president: “They’re sneaky, dirty rats.”
As always, the commander in chief is intensely interested in communicating to the American people his fervent positions on … show business figures. On Madonna and her loony women’s-march comment about “blowing up the White House”: “Honestly, she’s disgusting, I think she hurt that whole…” — his voice trailed off for just a second, so Hannity leapt in with the word “cause” just as Trump said, “…cause.” See? They complete each other! Hannity also provided Trump with ample time to slap Saturday Night Live around. “It’s a failing show, it’s not funny. Alec Baldwin’s a disaster, he’s terrible on the show and, by the way, I don’t mind some humor but it’s terrible.” Trump also brought up the unfunny, unkind tweet written by SNL writer Katie Rich, yet even here, Hannity sabotaged his own interview with incessant obsequiousness. Trump was summoning a mighty thunderbolt — “For them to attack, for NBC to attack my 10-year-old son…” — when Hannity cut in with, “He’s a great kid, I met him!”
There have been reports that Trump gets his news primarily from Fox News. I guess this night Trump was sprawled in the White House, gazing at a TV screen and musing, “This guy playing the president is great, but who’s this other guy who keeps interrupting? He’s terrible! Very dishonest!”
Hannity airs weeknights at 10 p.m. on Fox News.
