‘Crisis of Confidence’: Jonathan Karl Calls Trump’s ‘Defensive’ Presidential Address a Sign of Self-Doubt

ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl declared President Donald Trump’s address to the nation on Wednesday evening the most “defensive” he’s ever seen from a president and a sign of serious self-doubt.

Karl joined George Stephanopoulos on Thursday’s Good Morning America following Trump’s address in which he promised “warrior dividends” in the form of $1,776 checks for military service members. The president claimed the country was economically “dead” before he took office and now the United States is the “hottest” country in the world.

Karl slammed the speech as one of the most “hyper-partisan” addresses from a president he’s seen, noting the more than a dozen attacks on former President Joe Biden and Democrats.

He said:

Look, George, when the president of the United States asks for primetime network air time to address the nation, it is usually either to make a statement about a national crisis, to announce a major new initiative, or to speak on an issue of war and peace. This was none of that. In fact, I cannot recall a prime time presidential address that was as defensive and hyper-partisan as this one. By my count, President Trump mentioned Joe Biden and the Democrats 15 times over the course of that 20 minute address.

Karl accused the president of pushing “falsehoods” and “exaggerations” on the economy and bringing down inflation, noting the inflation rate has stayed relatively steady around 3% since Trump took office.

If Trump was addressing a “crisis,” Karl argued, it was a “crisis of confidence” in his own handling of the economy. Karl noted a Quinnipiac poll released on Wednesday showing 57% disapprove of the president’s handling of the economy, while another 40% said they approve. Karl noted that one “silver lining” for the administration is the survey did show Americans still trust Republicans more than Democrats when it comes to the economy.

“If the president was addressing a crisis last night, it seemed to be a crisis of confidence in his handling of the economy,” Karl said. “Americans are overwhelmingly unhappy with the state of the economic, and a clear majority in many recent polls are blaming Donald Trump.”

Watch above via ABC.