NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell falsely accused President Donald Trump's campaign Friday of editing footage of Joe Biden's comments on poor kids being "just as bright and just as talented as white kids."
Mitchell appeared on NBC's Today, where she claimed Trump's rapid response director Andrew Clark posted a video of one of Biden's Iowa campaign events that "notably did not include the full remarks," Mediaite reported. However, Mitchell's report, save for a short edit of its own, posted the exact same clip Clark did of Biden.
"Joe Biden, after a widely praised speech against the president 24 hours ago, is now facing a Trump campaign counter-attack, seizing on a few words on the campaign trail," Mitchell said. "The former vice president accusing the President of being a racist who emboldens white supremacists by aligning himself with their cause, but it’s Biden’s bungling of his own remarks that’s making headlines this morning."
Mitchell then played the full context of Biden's remarks about how "Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids."
"We should challenge these students. We should challenge students in these schools that have advanced placement programs in these schools. We have this notion that somehow if you're poor, you cannot do it," Biden said. "Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids. Wealthy kids. Black kids. Asian kids."
Mitchell reported Trump's team "quickly seizing on just the 'white kids' comment" and said Clark "notably did not include the full remarks" in the clip he shared in his tweet. However, Clark's clip played through Biden's full remarks and did not stop at him saying "white kids."
Mediaite noted Mitchell was "wrong in this assertion."
Mitchell covered for Biden during the same segment by saying his gaffe came "after a long day and night at the Iowa State Fair."
Clark also responded to Biden's campaign accusing him of posting the video without Biden's "immediate correction," saying the clip did do so.
Our tweet of the video did, in fact, include Biden’s 'immediate correction." They can't even get their response right.
No amount of "immediate corrections" can change the fact that "slip ups" like this are part of a proven pattern for Joe Biden. https://t.co/eHyrOJ5HV5
— Andrew Clark (@AndrewHClark) August 9, 2019