During MSNBC’s Friday coverage of the inauguration, Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow played up a report from the Huffington Post claiming that President Trump’s transition team requested military hardware for the inaugural parade. Matthews wondered, » Wouldn’t that look like a little shades of Pyongyang? » Maddow added, » It would be a little Red Square to do that. » Minutes later, Maddow revisited the supposed request for a » Red Square-style show of military force ,» and lamented, » It’s embarrassing \u2014 to be the only president with no public service or military experience being the one who wants to most show off the military. » [ video below ]
Matthews, who had labeled Trump’s inaugural speech «Hitlerian» earlier in the afternoon, raised the Huffington Post’s reporting as the President’s motorcade was getting ready to depart the U. S. Capitol: «You know, I love this guy who’s on the transition team \u2014 got quoted in the paper today \u2014 I think it was the Times \u2014 the New York Times \u2014 that his hope was that they would include rocket launchers and tanks. » Maddow clarified that it was from the left-wing website. Matthews replied with his «shades of Pyongyang» line.
The female MSNBC host did disclose that » it was a single source ,» and soon added that «the request had been for missile launchers and tanks….to roll down Pennsylvania Avenue \u2014 which, of course, would do a number on Pennsylvania Avenue, for one. » The Washington Post ‘s Eugene Robinson agreed with her point: » You wouldn’t have a Pennsylvania Avenue if you rolled a bunch of tanks down i t. »
Maddow then adopted Matthews’s invoking of North Korea, which Robinson and Steve Schmidt agreed with as well:
RACHEL MADDOW: And it would be a little Pyongyang \u2014 it would be a little Red Square to do that \u2014
EUGENE ROBINSON: It would be a lot Pyongyang \u2014
STEVE SCHMIDT: May Day in Red Square \u2014
MADDOW: The military apparently talked them out of that idea. But again, as commander-in-chief, presumably, if he did order that, he would get that.
>>
Just over ten minutes later, Maddow revisited the Huffington Post report as the presidential motorcade proceeded towards the White House. Matthews made an attempt of psychoanalysis during this second exchange. Brian Williams chimed in and cut their banter short by introducing a guest:
RACHEL MADDOW (off-camera): One of the things that’s going to happen today \u2014 we are advised \u2014 is an unusually-large military flyover. We were talking earlier about these reports that the Trump transition had requested more of a Red Square-style show of military force \u2014 including tanks and missile launchers in a military parade \u2014 which is not something that we do in this country. But the other thing that they have requested \u2014 and reportedly, that they’re getting \u2014 is a military flyover from all five branches of the United States military \u2014 including helicopters from the Coast Guard. That’s a very unusual thing. The last time we had a military flyover at an inauguration was in 1949 under Harry Truman. There was a flyover a couple of day ahead of the 2001 inauguration of George W. Bush at a separate event. But to have one at the inauguration, it’s the first time since the \u2014 since before the midpoint of the last century \u2014 and it will be a big one involving all the branches of the military.
President Trump has said \u2014 said in a recent interview \u2014 that he wants to show off the military \u2014 that he that wants military parades \u2014 that that’s part of what he wants to be a hallmark of his presidency. I don’t know \u2014 I don’t know why he wants that , but we’ll see the first of that today with these flyovers\u2014
CHRIS MATTHEWS (off-camera): You know why. You know why \u2014
MADDOW: Why is it? Why do you think?
MATTHEWS: You know why! A show of strength \u2014 it’s a \u2014 it’s a head of state’s show of military strength.
MADDOW: It’s embarrassing \u2014 to be the only president with no public service or military experience being the one who wants to most show off the military, when your only military experience is getting deferments\u2014
MATTHEWS: Is this a small-hands thing, do you think \u2014 a small-hands phenomenon?
MADDOW: No! I mean, you got multiple deferments from the war that happened when you were in your prime \u2014 and then, you want to show off the military once you’re in office? I mean, it’s\u2014
MATTHEWS: Irony \u2014
MADDOW: I hope there’s a different explanation.
BRIAN WILLIAMS (off-camera): Well, look at the time . (Maddow laughs)
The transcript of the relevant exchange between Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow from MSNBC’s live coverage of President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2017:
CHRIS MATTHEWS (off-camera): You know, I love this guy who’s on the transition team \u2014 got quoted in the paper today \u2014 I think it was the Times \u2014 the New York Times \u2014 that his hope was that they would include rocket launchers and tanks in future presidential\u2014
RACHEL MADDOW (off-camera): That was the Huffington Post today \u2014 yeah\u2014
MATTHEWS: Well, it also made the Times, too. Wow! I mean, wouldn’t that be \u2014 look like a little shades of Pyongyang?
EUGENE ROBINSON (off-camera): Yeah. That was wisely turned down\u2014
MADDOW: I mean, it was a single source \u2014 although, I saw it on the Huffington Post, right? I didn’t see the Times version of it. And that’s what they said \u2014 the request had been for missile launchers\u2014
MATTHEWS: Missile launchers\u2014
MADDOW: And tanks\u2014
ROBINSON:\u00a0 And tanks\u2014
MADDOW: To be part of \u2014 to roll down Pennsylvania Avenue \u2014 which, of course, would do a number on Pennsylvania Avenue, for one\u2014
ROBINSON: Well, exactly \u2014 that’s the point. You can’t \u2014 you know, you wouldn’t have a Pennsylvania Avenue if you rolled a bunch of tanks down it\u2014
MADDOW: And it would be a little Pyongyang \u2014 it would be a little Red Square to do that\u2014
ROBINSON: It would be a lot Pyongyang\u2014
STEVE SCHMIDT (off-camera): May Day in Red Square\u2014
MADDOW: The military apparently talked them out of that idea. But again, as commander-in-chief, presumably, if he did order that, he would get that. An at least reportedly, the Trump \u2014 the incoming Trump transition did ask about the possibility of doing something like that.<\/p>\n