NYT’s Helene Cooper: The Idea Trump Will ‘Play a Constructive Role in This Movement for Change… Is Preposterous’

New York Times Pentagon correspondent Helene Cooper said it’s “preposterous” to think that President Donald Trump could play a constructive role in the push for change going on in the country right now.

On Meet the Press, Chuck Todd asked about the role the president could play in this moment of civil unrest — bringing up Trump’s Lincoln comments last week and what he said years ago about how “a well-educated black has a tremendous advantage over a well-educated white in terms of the job market.”

Todd asked, “Can the president, because of his history, even his recent instincts here, can he play a constructive role without sort of acknowledging views that he had in the past this no longer seem to be mainstream?”

Cooper bluntly responded, “I have an easy answer for that. No.”

“I don’t see how President Trump can play any kind of constructive role in what’s going on right now in this movement for change because of who he is,” she continued. “I wish you had the facepalm emoji for when you were playing that tape of him on Fox News just now talking about Abe Lincoln. That was insane, that’s very Trump.”

Cooper said Trump’s claims about what he’s done for the black community are “patently untrue” and brought up how POTUS “immediately slammed down” efforts from the Pentagon to open discussions on renaming bases named for Confederate leaders.

“He infuriated his senior military officials who were just ready to throw their hands up in the air,” she continued. “So the idea that this is the guy who’s going to play a constructive role in this movement for change in the United States I think is preposterous.”

You can watch above, via NBC.