CNN Panel Calls Out ‘Revisionist History’ on Covid, ‘Incongruous’ Tone on First Night of RNC Convention: ‘We’ve Heard a Lot of Grievance’

During the first night of the Republican National Convention, a CNN panel called out the “revisionist history” on display about the coronavirus pandemic and noted the “incongruous” tone among speakers like Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend.

After an jarring speech in which Guilfoyle mostly yelled out her lines as if addressing a crowded convention hall instead of an empty auditorium, CNN’s Jake Tapper led off a mid-point review of what the RNC had offered so far.

“Very, very forceful speech, Jake,” CNN’s Wolf Blitzer observed.

“Forceful is one word for it,” Tapper deadpanned. “You know, I can’t help but think that so much of this convention so far is great for Donald Trump’s base. And yet, with a couple of exceptions, is not even remotely reaching out to any voters in the middle. We’ve heard a lot of grievance really this evening. Some of them perhaps understandable, but we’ve heard from somebody who hates unions. We’re heard from somebody who hates Democratic leadership in Baltimore. We heard from the McCloskey in St. Louis who certainly don’t like the Black Lives Matter protesters. But we have yet to really hear much in terms of the positive optimistic hopeful message we were told.”

CNN’s Abby Phillip then weighed in, focusing more on the RNC’s framing of how the Trump administration handled a Covid-19 outbreak that a strong majority of Americans disapprove of and that has taken nearly 180,000 American lives.

“Exactly the same thought struck me as I watched that video, which is to say, you know, the president was within his rights to talk about the things that are on the horizon, the therapeutics, the vaccine,” Phillip said. “But the revisionist history about the facts of the virus I think is something that has to be called out. This is a president who said it would disappear, who said it would ‘disappear in warm weather.’ That was all omitted. And I was also struck by the absence really of a moment of reflection for the lives that were lost; 177,000 Americans lost in this pandemic. So there were a lot of omissions there. But you could see also what they were trying to do tonight. That is creating this whole new picture of President Trump as taking on the criticism, not just about the coronavirus but also about his empathy or lack thereof.”

Finally, CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash offered her analysis.

“There were a couple of things that really struck me about what we’ve seen so far,” Bash said. “Number one is the couple from St. Louis. We knew going in why they were chosen for a number of reasons. But the most important line that struck me about what Patty McCloskey said is: “You saw what happens to us and it could just as easily happen to any of you who are watching from your quiet neighborhoods.” That was a bullhorn to suburbia to say ‘Look at us,’ those who are open to that message. I just have to say, Kimberly Guilfoyle, oh, my goodness, I just feel like that was so intense and so dark that, coming out of the other video, it was almost incongruous, Wolf.”

Watch the video above, via CNN.