Trump’s Interview With Joe Kernen on CNBC Was a Disaster for Trump

[Peacenik]

• 3:00 minutes:
  
  Kernen: "Those were benchmark numbers, though, Mr. President, that happens. They do that. They do that twice a year and...""
  
  
• 4:15 minutes:
  
  Kernen: "And she said, you know, the commissioner doesn't really even get involved with the actual minutia of putting all these things together. And there's no way that that it could have been that she could have chosen to rig these numbers to make them look bad. And these are statistical changes based on this antiquated system. And it's just a big leap to go to rig."
  
  
• 4:35 minutes:
  
  Kernen: "Mr. President, it makes anyone you pick is going to be the critics are going to say, hey, he's picking a guy that's going to give him the or a gal that's giving him the numbers that he wants. So it undermines confidence in the system to some extent."
  
  
• 34:50 minutes:
  
  Kernen: "You did, you did. I'm moving on. I'm moving on to your claim that that revision helped Biden for hurt you for the 800,000. It was it was in August that there were still plenty of time for voters to see that those weren't for. The election in November. I believe it was in like November or something. There was a massive revision downward on. The 800,000 or 900,000 I think was in was in August, and then later it came out in March of 2025. It went to 5.98, not 818, but the original...""

OK. I don't see it as horrible for Donald to let him go on and on for a half hour after making a few seconds long point for the truth.

 

[Peacenik]

More:

• 36:00 minutes:

Trump: I have the best poll numbers I've ever had. You know why? Because people love the tariffs and they love...​

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Kernen: That's among...that's with Republicans.​

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Trump: And they love the countries... And they love that foreign countries aren't ripping us off anymore.​

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Kernen: Well, overall poll numbers...​

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Trump: For years they ripped us off...​

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Kernen: No, no.​

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Trump: friend and foe...​

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Kernen: Overall poll numbers, you don't.​

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Trump: And the friend was worst.​

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Kernen: Overall poll numbers, you don't.​

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Trump: What?​

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Kernen: You don't have the best you've ever had in overall poll numbers. You do...I cited one of those...​

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Trump: I have the best... I have the best poll numbers...I've​

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Kernen: Among Republicans.​

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Trump: ever had...​

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Kernen: Among Republicans.​

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Trump: I have poll numbers where I'm 71%, I have the best poll numbers. Look...​

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Kernen: Those are among Republicans. You know you've got...​

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[unintelligible]​

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Trump: No, no. No. Among Republicans I have a 94 and 95 percent.​

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Kernen: Well, you've got...​

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Trump: No. I'm talking about generally I have the let me put it this way. There was a gentleman on Harry Emden yesterday on CNN, and he went crazy over how well Trump was doing. Now, you know, you don't put that on because I think CBS is a shade actually, CNN's a shade better than NBC. I think NBC is probably the worst of them all. But if you check CNN tomorrow, watch Harry Emden see about the numbers. But that's okay. We have to defend ourselves, Jeff.​

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Kernen: I know. But there are other, they can say, there's... your haters cite polls that have you down in the 30s, Mr. President.​

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Trump: Yeah, but they're fake polls, Joe. I've had a lot of fake polls. Some have me in the 70s.​

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Kernen: With Republicans.​

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Trump: I have fake polls. Fox always gives me terrible polls. I've never had a good one from them. Then I win an election and my numbers shoot up. I won every swing state, didn’t I? I won the popular vote by millions, even though they tried like hell to cheat. I won all the counties, 2,750 to 502. It was a landslide. And now, just six months in, my poll numbers are even better than during the election. That’s because the Democratic Party is falling apart. You’ve got low-IQ people like Crockett. Any relation to the great Davy Crockett? He was a great man. But this Crockett is supposed to be one of their leaders. The Democrats are totally lost. They’ve got Trump Derangement Syndrome so bad, they can't walk, they can't talk, they don’t know where they're going. And Schumer...he’s finished. I watched him the other day. He’s completely lost his confidence.​

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Kernen: Forty percent of the country won't support you no matter what, so you're never going to get above 60 in any poll. And that’s because 40 percent has TDS. We know that, Mr. President. We used to do this every Tuesday. It was called Trump Tuesday. Maybe this can be the start of something again. But we appreciate your time today and hope to continue this discussion soon.​

A good attempt by Kernen to fact-slap Trump, but for every word of Kernen's Trump has ten. It's lost in the wash.

 

[W_Heisenberg]

OK. I don't see it as horrible for Donald to let him go on and on for a half hour after making a few seconds long point for the truth.

This is not good for Trump because there's really no way anyone can say it was a hostile interview. I think the context is important. Kernen has always been a Trump ball-washer. And the juxtaposition of Kernen, a well-known Trump supporter, patiently and respectfully correcting Trump, fact-checking him in real-time, and Trump's incoherent, rambling responses creates a bad impression of Trump. And all that's really happening is Kernen is basically, saying, "Wait, hold on, that's not correct." And in response Trump basically glitches out.

 

[Helix]

He could go on CNBC with a Bozo wig on and recite Rapper's Delight from a printout while doing the MC Hammer dance, and his supporters and Russians would be on the net within the hour to tell everyone how great it was. Poor or even loony performances don't cost him support.

 

[Peacenik]

This is not good for Trump because there's really no way anyone can say it was a hostile interview. I think the context is important. Kernen has always been a Trump ball-washer. And the juxtaposition of Kernen, a well-known Trump supporter, patiently and respectfully correcting Trump, fact-checking him in real-time, and Trump's incoherent, rambling responses creates a bad impression of Trump. And all that's really happening is Kernen is basically, saying, "Wait, hold on, that's not correct." And in response Trump basically glitches out.

It's better than total capitulation but in the eyes of maga Trump owned the interview.

 

[W_Heisenberg]

It's better than total capitulation but in the eyes of maga Trump owned the interview.

My impression is that it didn't go over well with the people who regularly watch CNBC, and spend a lot of time consuming investing related content, and the fact that Kernen is a Trumper makes it even worse.

 

[Peacenik]

My impression is that it didn't go over well with the people who regularly watch CNBC, and spend a lot of time consuming investing related content, and the fact that Kernen is a Trumper makes it even worse.

He didn't come off as maga in the interview.

 

[W_Heisenberg]

He didn't come off as maga in the interview.

I think the firing of the BLS Commissioner was a wake up call for him.