CNN's Jake Tapper viciously trolled Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Mike Johnson after they attacked Vice President Kamala Harris for calling Donald Trump a "fascist" — by running multiple clips of the former president calling Harris just that.
The Republican congressional leaders bashed Harris on Friday after she was asked by CNN's Anderson Cooper at Wednesday's town hall whether Trump is a "fascist."
"Yes, I do," she replied.
McConnell and Johnson slammed back in a statement that Harris's use of the word "fascist" is "base and irresponsible and endangers both American lives and institutions," and resembles something a would-be assassin might say.
So the two Republican leaders are "expressing concern about Kamala Harris calling Donald Trump a fascist," a somber Tapper remarked during his show Friday. "Let's show an example of Harris doing exactly what McConnell and Johnson are taking issue with."
A video then showed Trump calling Harris "Marxist, communist, fascist, socialist."
"I'm sorry, control room," Tapper smirked. "That was actually Donald Trump calling Kamala Harris a fascist in September," he said, asking them to show another clip.
In it Trump then says: "Somebody's got to explain this one. This is a radical left, Marxist, communist, fascist."
Tapper fake apologized and asked the control room to "get it together," saying McConnell and Johnson are upset about Harris's comments.
"Please roll the clip," he said.
"We have a fascist person running who's incompetent. And we have a president who's not even around," Trump said in the third clip.
Tapper: Let’s show an example of Harris doing exactly what McConnell and Johnson are taking issue with.
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 25, 2024
Tapper: I'm sorry control room. That was actually Donald Trump calling Kamala Harris a fascist pic.twitter.com/ZWCekwFy1L
"Humor me," Tapper told the production staff, asking them to play another.
The next clip aired audio of former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly telling the New York Times that Trump "admires people who are dictators."
He "has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure," Kelly said.
Another video showed a quote from Gen. Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, saying Trump is "a total fascist."
CNN finally ran a clip of Harris talking to Cooper at the town hall.
"Thank you. My control room going a little bit rogue there and making a point, perhaps," Tapper smiled.
"This is obviously what Mike Johnson and Mitch McConnell are worried about: Kamala Harris agreeing with the words of some of the people who have worked closely with Trump in the Oval Office in the Situation Room," Tapper said.
"That's what they have an issue with, not Trump using these very same words," he said.
CNN head fact checker Daniel Dale has also reported that Trump has been calling Harris a "fascist" for "months," something McConnell and Johnson apparently missed.
