It seems the right's definition of a "gotcha question" is anything one of their candidates has trouble answering. Fox, like much of our corporate media sadly, has been carrying water for Trump since he announced his candidacy for president, so this segment from this Sunday's Media Buzz should come as a surprise to no one.
Here's host Howard Kurtz and his guest, the right-wing Washington Examiner's Susan Ferrechio, complaining about Chris Matthews' interview with Donald Trump, where he made the mistake of admitting what most of the forced-birth crowd really thinks, but doesn't want any of them saying out loud: Wash. Examiner's Susan Ferrechio: "The Media Love To Play Gotcha With Republican Candidates" Like Donald Trump On Abortion:
HOWARD KURTZ (HOST): I thought the questions by Chris Matthews were perfectly fair, Susan. but this not only fed a criticism on both sides. The pro-life groups and pro-choice groups hammering Trump on this issue. But it fed this other media narrative that he hasn't quite thought through the issues.
SUSAN FERRECHIO: That was the most important part of the exchange. Look, the media love to play gotcha with Republican candidates when it comes to social issues like abortion. Chris Matthews just did it. In 2012, George Stephanopoulos did it with Mitt Romney in a debate where he talked about overturning a 50-year-old thing that prevented states from banning contraception. That was a ridiculous question.
And I think Matthews kind of took Trump down the same path, talking about punishment for abortion. Trump probably never -- never even crossed his mind. But what it did, as you say, is it raises the issue of how -- when he is going to start studying important issues to conservatives, to the Republican parties, for the country? He comes totally unprepared, speaks off the cuff. He has to make course corrections. What does it say about him as a candidate or somebody who actually wants to be president?
Never mind that the man is not fit to be president if he can't even articulate his stance on a hot button issue like abortion that he should be prepared to talk about when he knows he's going to sit down for a long interview. In right wing world, it's the mean old bullies in the media picking on those poor downtrodden Republicans again. Spare me.