MSNBC host Chuck Todd called spin from the Hillary Clinton campaign that Donald Trump "rooted for" the 2008 financial crisis "a leap" Tuesday on Meet The Press Daily.
The Clinton camp recently released an attack ad that targets Trump ahead of the housing crisis in 2006. There is audio of Trump saying that he "sort of" wished that there would be a crisis so he could go in and buy.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the ad:
"I sort of hope that happens because then people like me would go in and buy. You know if you’re in a good cash position, which I’m in a good cash position today, then people like me would go in and buy like crazy," he said, in audio posted by CNN. "If there is a bubble burst, as they call it, you know you could make a lot of money."
Clinton campaign press secretary Brian Fallon was pressed on the advertisement Tuesday, as Todd noted that this was part of the charm that Trump has with voters: being able to make money out of a seemingly devastating situation.
"You heard Trump's response to the hit on him with the real estate," Todd said. "Isn't that why he won the nomination, isn't that why a lot of voters are attracted to him? That when things are bad, he's looking for a way to make money. Isn't that the type of thinking voters think they're getting with him? Why isn't that a good asset for him?"
Fallon responded by stating that he didn't know how to react to Trump's response, while categorizing his 2006 comments as "openly rooting for" the crisis.
Todd interrupted to ask if saying "I sort of hope" or "I don't mind" counts as openly rooting for something.
"You're making a leap," Todd said.
"I think he owned it in his response statement that you just put up on the screen," Fallone responded. Todd noted that was fair.
"He wants to make the point that the answer to making America great again is greed, bigotry, misogyny, if the idea is that he's putting all his chips on those qualities, then we will take the other side of that bet in this election," Fallon said.