Weekend Media Wrap: What You Missed If You Weren’t Glued To The Sunday Shows

Every Sunday morning, legacy media outlets are taken over by elected officials, aspiring elected officials, administration insiders, and the usual collection of talking heads — all of whom are there to discuss specific policies, push talking points, or simply promote their own campaigns.

For those who don’t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to unravel a full week’s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what they may have missed.

ABC News, “This Week”:

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) responded to reports that a U.S. nuclear-capable submarine made a stop in South Korea, calling the move a projection of strength. McCaul, who also serves as the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, told host Martha Raddatz that it was designed to be a deterrent.

“I think projecting strength right now is important for deterrence,” McCaul said, noting that it had been four decades since the last such deployment and saying that the hope was it would deter aggression from both North Korea and China.

“I think projecting strength right now is important for deterrence,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul tells @MarthaRaddatz after U.S. nuclear-capable submarine made a rare port of call in South Korea. https://t.co/UsJMhjcFUj pic.twitter.com/fbKf2vd6EA

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 23, 2023

McCaul went on to say that tensions in the region had been particularly “provocative,” adding, “It’s by design that you’re seeing the Pacific Command deploy these nuclear subs for the first time in 40 years … we need to get in [North Korea’s] head and [Chinese] Chairman Xi’s head that if they do anything that’s aggressive militarily, we will — there will be consequences.”

GOP Rep. Michael McCaul tells @MarthaRaddatz that "tension" created by China and North Korea recently has been "provocative."

"It's by design that you’re seeing the Pacific Command deploy these nuclear subs now for the first time in 40 years." https://t.co/UsJMhjcFUj pic.twitter.com/KoVs8Eeiwh

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 23, 2023

On the topic of climate change, McCaul weighed in on China’s contributions — or lack thereof — to global efforts to go greener. He argued that it was wrong that the communist-controlled country was not being held to the same expectations as most Western nations.

“They’re the second-largest economy superpower and the number one polluter on the planet,” he said, calling for the rest of the world to hold China “to the same standards” as the United States.

GOP Rep. Michael McCaul tells @MarthaRaddatz that China should be “held to the same standards” as the U.S. for addressing climate change. 

“They’re the second largest economy superpower and the number one polluter in the planet.” https://t.co/UsJMhjcFUj pic.twitter.com/KXfH6OuyAn

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 23, 2023

CBS News, “Face the Nation”:

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) defended the actions taken by Republican Governor Gregg Abbott, saying that his goal was to stop the flow of illegal immigrants – in part because having an open border left migrants vulnerable to the dangers of human trafficking.

In response to outrage over the steps Abbott has taken to secure the border – including placing concertina wire in places where illegal immigrants attempted to cross into Texas – he said, “The border crisis has been anything but humane, I think you’re seeing the governor do everything he possibly can to secure the border.”

Noting that the Biden administration had threatened to sue the state of Texas over some of the measures that have been put in place, Gonzales argued that Congress should also find a way to step in and address the problem. “We can’t just wait on the president to solve things. We can’t wait for governors to try and fix it themselves. Congress has a role to play in this.”

"The border crisis has been anything but humane. I think you're seeing the governor do everything he possibly can just to secure the border," Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican, told "Face the Nation" on Sunday. https://t.co/CqHqUdhtTj

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 23, 2023

CNN, “State of the Union”:

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) made an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” — where she managed to confuse Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with his nephew, former Massachusetts Rep. and current Special Envoy for Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy.

Pelosi also told anchor Dana Bash that the American people were already benefiting from President Joe Biden’s economic policies — dubbed “Bidenomics” by the administration — but they did not know they were benefiting because Biden has not done a great job of telling them about it yet.

Former House @SpeakerPelosi tells @DanaBashCNN that President Biden has to “make sure the American people know” how his economic policies are benefiting them. #CNNSOTU https://t.co/58UiyDycC3

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) July 23, 2023

Bash gave Pelosi a running start, saying that by the numbers, things were looking “pretty good.” She noted that unemployment numbers were down and inflation was down to 3% from record highs in 2021 and 2022 — but left out the context that inflation was just under 1.5% in 2020.

Pivoting to polls, Bash noted that the American people did not seem ready to give Biden “credit” for the economic good news — and Pelosi responded by saying that the president just needed to get out there and tell people about it. “A lot of it is about messaging, of course,” she said, comparing Biden’s economic accomplishments to those made by Depression-era President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. “He just has to get out there.”

NBC News, “Meet the Press”:

Legal commentator Renato Mariotti joined NBC’s “Meet the Press” to discuss the possibly-imminent charges against former President Donald Trump, claiming that the situation would only get worse if any trial were to be delayed until after the 2024 presidential election was over.

“People use the term constitutional crisis all the time, but that truly will be one,” he said, warning of the chaos that could ensue if Trump were to win the 2024 election and take office before facing a conviction and sentencing.

WATCH: If Trump goes to trial after winning the presidential election, it would be “unprecedented,” says @renato_mariotti.

“People use the term constitutional crisis all the time. But that truly will be one.” pic.twitter.com/3Xl8lHuEEu

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) July 21, 2023

FOX, “Fox News Sunday”:

Biden economic adviser Jared Bernstein joined “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream to discuss the impact of “Bidenomics” on average Americans — and despite the polling data Bream presented suggesting otherwise, Bernstein insisted that Americans were actually benefiting from the Biden administration’s policies.

Bream shared data showing that Americans were using “buy now, pay later” apps to cover the cost of basic necessities — like groceries and school supplies — and asked how the Biden administration could say that regular people felt the economy improving if that were the case.

Bernstein responded by touting the lower unemployment rate, claiming that the GDP was “pretty strong” and had been “outpacing expectations.” He went on to say that “real wages” had been growing in recent months and that workers had “more leverage” in the job market.

But as Bream noted, wages have not kept pace with inflation — and Bernstein did not offer an answer to that point.

WATCH: Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers @econjared46 joins to discuss the health of the economy and ‘Bidenomics’. Tune in! pic.twitter.com/3MRx3kZeVi

— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) July 23, 2023

MSNBC, “Inside With Jen Psaki”:

Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) joined former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on her MSNBC show, “Inside with Jen Psaki,” and complained about the fact that recent congressional efforts — led by Democrats — to censor and silence Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had not been successful.

“I think what’s more insidious is what they’re doing is giving individuals like RFK a platform to desensitize Americans and to also make the Biden administration, social media platforms, hesitant about stopping untruths,” she said.

Jen Psaki added her own assessment, claiming that she believed Republicans had “stooped” to elevating Kennedy, who is running a presidential campaign against Biden as a Democrat, in order to better their own political chances. What she failed to mention is that it appears to many that Democrats are actively working to promote former President Donald Trump for largely the same reason.

According to an April report from The Wall Street Journal, some in the Democratic Party believe that Trump’s age — in addition to the Whac-a-Mole-type legal challenges that keep presenting themselves — could be the liability they need in a general election. “That’s a contrast we’ll highlight and know the American people will reject,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said.

It would be so cynical to assume Republicans are embracing a candidate enamored with conspiracies just as a means to advance their own political objectives. They’ve never stooped that low before, right?@jrpsaki on the GOP love for RFK Jr. pic.twitter.com/2jVNjPPPOM

— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) July 23, 2023