Trump Says Lawrence O’Donnell’s Retracted Story ‘No Different’ From All the Other Fake News
“So bad for the USA!” president tweets
Lindsey Ellefson | August 29, 2019 @ 6:21 AM
Last Updated: August 29, 2019 @ 4:24 PM
MSNBC
President Trump lashed out at Lawrence O’Donnell Thursday morning, just a few hours after the MSNBC host retracted a story about the president’s loans and apologized for it.
“The totally inaccurate reporting by Lawrence O’Donnell, for which he has been forced by NBC to apologize, is NO DIFFERENT than the horrible, corrupt and fraudulent Fake News that I (and many millions of GREAT supporters) have had to put up with for years. So bad for the USA!” the president tweeted, referring to the apology that came after his lawyer sent NBCUniversal a letter demanding the retraction and apology.
Prior to that, he sent off two other O’Donnell-related tweets.
Here is the first: “Crazy Lawrence O’Donnell, who has been calling me wrong from even before I announced my run for the Presidency, even being previously forced by NBC to apologize, which he did while crying, for things he said about me & The Apprentice, was again forced to apologize, this time…..”
And here is he second: “….for the most ridiculous claim of all, that Russia, Russia, Russia, or Russian oligarchs, co-signed loan documents for me, a guarantee. Totally false, as is virtually everything else he, and much of the rest of the LameStream Media, has said about me for years. ALL APOLOGIZE!”
A representative for MSNBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Following a statement earlier in the day saying that he made “an error in judgement,” on Wednesday night, O’Donnell formally retracted a story about loans Trump received from Deutsche Bank.
On Tuesday’s show, O’Donnell had said a “single source close to Deutsche Bank” told him that loan documents show Trump was able to obtains his loans because unnamed Russian oligarchs cosigned for him. “I have not seen any documentation from Deutsche Bank that supports this and verifies this,” O’Donnell clarified. “This is just a single source who has revealed that to me and that’s where that stands at this point. It’s going to need a lot more verification before that can be a confirmable fact.”
He ended the Wednesday night apology by pointing out, “We don’t know whether the information is inaccurate but the fact is we do know it wasn’t ready for broadcast and for that, I apologize.”
16 MSNBC Shows That Have Gained Since Trump, Ranked (Photos)
Since taking office on Jan. 20, President Trump has boosted ratings for all the major cable news channels. But none more than MSNBC, which grew a whopping 55 percent in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the same period in 2016. In fact, the network has the 16 cable news shows that have shown the most growth.
TheWrap wondered on March 15 if Rachel Maddow would turn away viewers after the <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/rachel-maddow-played-us/">mixed reaction to her record-setting episode</a> that revealed Trump's 2005 tax return. Three weeks later, it's safe to say that didn't happen. Using the week of Trump's inauguration as a base and comparing it to the three weeks since Maddow's reveal, here are MSNBC"s big winners, ranked:
16. “For the Record with Greta”
Greta Van Susteren ditched Fox News for MSNBC and her new show has grown 23 percent compared to the week of Trump’s inauguration, while CNN has remained stagnant over the same time period.
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15. “MSNBC Live with Katy Tur”
The midday newscast that airs from 2-3 p.m. ET has grown 28 percent compared to the week of Trump’s inauguration, while rival networks have lost viewers over the same timelot.
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14. “MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle”
Ruhle’s daily newscast airs directly after “Morning Joe” at 9 am E.T. and has gained 30 percent of total viewers compared to the week of Trump’s inauguration.
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13. “The 11th Hour with Brian Williams”
Williams’ nightly program has grown 30 percent since the week of Trump’s inauguration while CNN’s 11 p.m. ET program has gained 10 percent over the same period.
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12. “All In with Chris Hayes”
Rachel Maddow’s lead-in has delivered, growing 32 percent compared to the week of Trump’s inauguration, while setting the table for one of television’s hottest programs. Hayes has the only cable news program among the big three networks to see an increase over the timeslot.
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11. “MSNBC Live with Craig Melvin”
Melvin’s daily newscast that airs from 1-2 p.m. ET has increased 33 percent compared to the week of Trump’s inauguration, with Sean Spicer’s White House press briefings being a hot topic this time of day.
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10. “Hardball with Chris Matthews”
“Hardball” paves the way for MSNBC’s red-hot primetime lineup and has seen an increase of 33 percent himself while rivals have lost viewers over the same span.
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9. “MSNBC Live with Kate Snow”
Snow’s version of “MSNBC Live” airs from 3-4 p.m. ET and has increased viewership 34 percent compared to the week of Trump’s inauguration, while both CNN and Fox News have dropped.
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8. “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell”
O’Donnell has one of the best timeslot in cable news… directly after Maddow. His audience has grown 35 percent since the week of her record-setting Trump reveal episode compared to the week of Trump’s inauguration.
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7. “Morning Joe”
Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist’s “Morning Joe” trends on social media essentially every morning, as it appears to be the go-to morning program for political Twitter. “Morning Joe” has picked up a 35 percent bump in viewers compared to the week of Trump’s inauguration.
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6. “MTP Daily”
Chuck Todd’s daily version of NBC News’ “Meet the Press” airs at 5 p.m. ET and has grown 37 percent among total viewers over the past three weeks compared to the week of Trump’s inauguration.
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5. “Andrea Mitchell Reports”
Mitchell’s daily program airs at noon ET and has grown 38 percent compared to the week of Trump’s inauguration.
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4. “MSNBC Live with Hallie Jackson”
Jackson’s version of “MSNBC Live” airs at 10 a.m. ET and has grown 39 percent in total viewers compared to the week Trump was sworn in, while rival CNN has grown 16 percent over the same time period.
TheWrap
3. “MSNBC Live with Steve Kornacki”
Kornacki’s daily newscast has seen a 42 percent increase among total viewers compared to the week of Trump’s inauguration.
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2. “MSNBC Live” at 11 a.m. ET
Many version of “MSNBC Live” have a permanent host for a specific hour of the day, but the 11 a.m. edition features a rotating group of the network’s talent and has seen a whopping 43 percent increase among total viewers since the week of Trump’s inauguration.
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1. “The Rachel Maddow Show”
Was there really any question which show would occupy the top spot? Maddow’s viewership has increased 44 percent compared to the week of Trump’s inauguration. Maddow was already on fire when she revealed Trump’s 2005 tax return and viewers have continued to flock to her program on a nightly basis ever since.
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MSNBC has shown significant growth since Inauguration Day, particularly after Rachel Maddow revealed Trump’s 2005 tax return
Since taking office on Jan. 20, President Trump has boosted ratings for all the major cable news channels. But none more than MSNBC, which grew a whopping 55 percent in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the same period in 2016. In fact, the network has the 16 cable news shows that have shown the most growth.
TheWrap wondered on March 15 if Rachel Maddow would turn away viewers after the <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/rachel-maddow-played-us/">mixed reaction to her record-setting episode</a> that revealed Trump's 2005 tax return. Three weeks later, it's safe to say that didn't happen. Using the week of Trump's inauguration as a base and comparing it to the three weeks since Maddow's reveal, here are MSNBC"s big winners, ranked:
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