Several news outlets misfired Wednesday in their interpretation of remarks former House Speaker Newt Gingrich made in a speech about Republican nominee Donald Trump.
During the speech at the Bio International Convention in San Francisco, Gingrich expressed amazement at Trump’s ascent to the nomination, despite never having been directly involved in politics or having held or run for public office.
“You have a Trump — this absurd amateur,” said Gingrich, a Trump supporter, according to a transcript posted on social media by a reporter at the event. “I mean, it’s not technically possible — all of us, men and women in politics — it’s not technically possible to announce [last] June for the presidency, having never run for anything and beat 16 [competitors], of whom at least eight or nine of them are really serious people who you would have normally thought they were potential presidents. And he just beat them all.”
Totally misleading report about my talk at Bio this morning. In 90 minute dialogue made clear Trump is learning, a gifted amateur, will win
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) June 8, 2016
Gingrich’s remarks suggest he was amused by Trump’s uncanny political prowess but several news reports picked up on the comments and wrote them out as if Gingrich were actually making a negative commentary.
“After becoming an enthusiastic early boarder of the Trump train, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich appears to be going through a period of disillusionment,” said the Guardian.
The New York Daily News said Gingrich had “piled on” Trump with the comments, following the businessman’s controversy this week over a judge he accused of being biased due to his Latino heritage.
“Shots fired” said the Daily Beast.
Gingrich responded to the news reports on Twitter.
“Totally misleading report about my talk at Bio this morning,” he wrote. “In 90-minute dialogue, made clear Trump is learning, a gifted amateur, will win.”
