Host of NBC’s “Meet the Press” Chuck Todd said on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” that newly-announced presidential candidate Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul had a “habit” of attacking female reporters.
Todd’s came in response to a contentious interview between Paul and NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, during which the two battled over whether Paul had flip-flopped on foreign policy. “Well look, this is a standard trick in the playbook of some politicians,” Todd said. “They don’t like the premise of a question they know exposes hypocrisy and does this, you know, you immediately attack the premise, attack the thing. It’s sort of standard shtick.”
“Particularly, I think some Republican candidates believe there’s no downside to it,” he said. “Because the base is always ginned up when you beat up the press. You’re never going to have the base Republican voters side with the press.” (VIDEO: MSNBC Analyst: Rand Paul Announcement Speech Was ‘Very Nearly Flawless’)
But after giving a personally reasonable explanation for Paul’s testy response, Todd threw in the gender card. “I think he’s developing a — he’s got to be careful here,” he said. “This is turning into a habit, particularly over — this is now two prominent women interviewers, Kelly Evans of CNBC, Savannah now… this is a tricky place for him to be. He needs to probably watch videotape of himself.”