Analysts on MSNBC seemed uncomfortable Thursday after playing a moment of levity from President Donald Trump's wide-ranging interview this week with the New York Times.
In the midst of his discussion Wednesday with reporters where he made news by criticizing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Trump's daughter Ivanka and young granddaughter Arabella entered the Oval Office. Trump praised Arabella's ability to speak Chinese and mentioned she had impressed Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump got her to say "Wo ai ni, Grandpa," meaning "I love you, Grandpa," and quipped that his granddaughter had "smart genes."
MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, a strong critic of Trump's, played the audio of the lighthearted exchange and said to Yahoo anchor and frequent MSNBC guest Bianna Golodryga, "I guess that was cute?"
"It's charming ... She's an adorable girl," Golodryga said. "Ivanka—I follow her on Instagram. She posts pictures of her kids. They're—I imagine that Donald Trump loves his grandchildren."
Fellow guest Ron Klain criticized Trump's remark about his granddaughter having good genes, saying the whole interview was a "textbook exposition on narcissism."