On her own show on MSNBC, Psaki talked more about the special prosecutor’s comments about Biden.
“I wasn’t aware that he was also a doctor, but he included this line, basically questioning the cognitive abilities of Joe Biden. And that has been the major focus of coverage about the Hur report. Now, I’m also not going to sit here and pretend that the president is a young sprite. He isn't. He would tell you he’s not either. He's 81 years old.”
Psaki continued, “It's not a narrative. It's a fact. And the constant questioning about his age is one of the biggest challenges that his campaign faces. They know that. But let's not forget who 81-year-old Joe Biden is running against, 77-year-old, not a sprite, Donald Trump. Whoever you may wish was running, it is time to settle into the fact that there will be two baby boomers competing for the White House in November. That is what's happening.”
The Trump comments
On “Meet the Press,” Psaki was referring to comments that Trump made Saturday night at a campaign rally in South Carolina.
“NATO was busted until I came along,” Trump told the crowd. “I said, ‘Everybody’s gonna pay.’ They said, ‘Well, if we don’t pay, are you still going to protect us?’ I said, ‘Absolutely not.’ They couldn’t believe the answer.”
Trump said a president from a “big country” asked him whether the United States would still defend them if they were invaded by Russia even if they “don’t pay.”
Trump told the crowd, “No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.”
Yes, you read that right. Trump said he would encourage Russia and President Vladimir Putin to do “whatever the hell they want.”
White House spokesman Andrew Bates called Trump’s comments “appalling and unhinged.”
Appearing on Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” former Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie was asked by moderator Kristen Welker if Trump’s comments were a national security risk. Christie said, “What poses a national security risk is the possibility that he could be president of the United States again. That's what poses a national security risk, because we need to take him at his word, Kristen. And the fact is that, as I've said earlier, you know, Donald Trump, when he came into office in 2016, was scared. He was afraid to be president. He was afraid of mistakes he would make. He knew he was not ready. And so as a result, he listened to a lot of very good people around him like General Mattis, General Kelly and others about these issues. In a second term, he would not.”
Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff said on Psaki’s MSNBC show, “Oh, Putin must be absolutely thrilled. If you look at it from Putin's perspective, you know, the war isn't going well in Ukraine for Russia. Russians keep coming back in body bags. NATO is enlarging around him with two new nations joining NATO. NATO is strengthening. And along comes Donald Trump there to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory for Russia and for the United States and our NATO allies. It couldn't come at a worse time. Trump's Republican Party is holding up aid for Ukraine. Trump is the gift that won't stop giving to Vladimir Putin. And, you know, he thinks, I'm sure, Donald Trump thinks this makes him sound strong, but it just makes him look like an incredibly weak leader. Weak in not bolstering our alliances, weak in undermining our security.”
Not surprisingly, some Trump supporters weren’t bothered by Trump’s head-shaking comments about Russia and NATO. Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio told CNN’s “State of the Union” that he has “zero concern” about Trump’s comments.
“He doesn't talk like a traditional politician,” Rubio said. “And we have already been through this now. You would think people had figured it out by now.”
The importance of Sports Illustrated
“60 Minutes” correspondent and longtime Sports Illustrated writer Jon Wertheim talked about SI for an essay on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
He admitted he couldn’t be objective, given that he has written for SI for 27 years. But his remarks were still on the mark. Check them out in full. He concluded with this:
“SI still means something — in the present, and hopefully, the future. This isn’t the Model T or Sony Walkman or throwback jersey that simply tickles the nostalgia pleasure centers. SI remains vital to the cultural conversation, especially as sports mean more than ever — cold, rational analysis to offset passionate hot takes, a media outlet whose partnership it with its audience, with sports fans. Not with the league it pays billions to cover. Super Bowl LIX will be held next year in New Orleans. You hope your team will be there. I hope mine will be there, too.”
Stewart returns
