MSNBC host Ari Melber banned Corey Lewandowski after the Trump aide repeated the supposed quote from the liberal anchor — eventually threatening to sue the MAGA mouthpiece before ending the interview.
Lewandowski had questioned Melber’s characterization of Donald Trump when he arrived at the Republican National Convention with a freshly bandaged ear days after the failed assassination attempt.
At the time, Melber, 44, was quoted by the New York Times as saying, “On the first night of this convention, Trump was his biggest prop. [He] entered the VIP box… a large white bandage on his injured right ear.
Melber later put his own spin on the quote, calling the moment “a political mobilization, a spectacle for this candidate who, as we know, is obsessed with different glasses.”
MSNBC host Ari Melber (left) had some harsh words for conservative commentator Corey Lewandowski (right) after he was asked about comments he made while speaking at the Republican National Convention (RNC) last month.
On Wednesday’s The Beat, Trump’s former campaign manager — now reinstated as his senior adviser — asked Melber about the second claim and its origins.
Melber denied it was his, and responded by telling his guests he was headed for a “defamation situation.”
“I quoted a New York Times article that said Donald Trump was his own biggest prop at the convention,” Melber told his guest on Wednesday.
“It was a New York Times quote about how he . . .”
Lewandowski, who Trump famously fired during his 2016 primary, continued to intervene.
“Let me read it to you,” he said.
Melber, on the other hand, continued to finish his sentence.
It revolved around Melber’s characterization of Donald Trump – Lewandowski’s old boss – as he arrived with a freshly bandaged ear days after a failed assassination attempt.
‘-how [Trump] had become such an important figure in his recovery from a horrific assassination attempt. Fox News –
“Let me read it to you,” Lewandowski, 50, said again. This time, the progressive on the other end of the long distance call became visibly angry.
“Corey, I said I’d deal with it,” Melber declared. ‘I Quit: Fox News,
“Many viewers may not know about this, but apparently you do, and some do,” he continued.
“Fox News, which has been caught in defamation, published a false article stating that I said something else that I did not say.
‘So, there I stand. I second the New York Times quote.
At the time, Melber, 44, said of Lewandowski’s boss: “On the first night of this convention, Trump was his biggest supporter. [He] entered the VIP box… a large white bandage over his injured right ear,” the New York Times quotes.
However, Lewandowski remained incredulous, steadfast in his efforts to bring out the MSNBC employee’s distorted memory.
“So, you didn’t say, ‘This bandage was a prop, a spectacle from a candidate obsessed with glasses.’
Melber – whose show is the most-watched on MSNBC – responded: “Mr. Lewandowski, I didn’t say that. That’s a misquote.’
“I have it here,” Lewandowski replied.
In response, Melber accused the political strategist, who joined the 2024 Trump campaign last week as a senior adviser, of producing the false quote.
Lewandowski stuck to his guns
“You definitely said it,” he said.
“What you have is a misquote,” Melber replied.
“And if—I’ll put you on notice—if you keep repeating, falsely, that I said so, you’ll potentially find yourself in a defamation situation—because I didn’t say so.”
The advanced anchor admitted, “But I understand that you use the Internet, which has a lot of misinformation.”
Melber later put his own spin on the quote, calling the moment “a political mobilization, a spectacle for this candidate who, as we know, is obsessed with different glasses.”
An amused Lewandowski replied, “Well, that’s what it said. Here.
“I wish you luck with that,” Melber replied. “We gave you time.”
The interview ended there, after just over 12 minutes.
Lewandowski’s return to Trump’s side comes as part of a new campaign to pour cold water on Kamala Harris’ new momentum.
Lewandowski took to the air on Friday to reveal what is and isn’t changing now that he’s been included in the campaign.
“We’re 80 days from this election and the truth is, people are starting to vote much earlier,” Lewandowski told Martha McCallum on Fox News.
“We really only have 45 days until the ballots start going out, so it’s all hands on deck,” he said, referring to mail-in ballots, which Trump has often criticized in favor of in-person voting. There is a place for everyone who wants to be part of the team,” he said.
McCallum introduced him as a “senior adviser” and then asked for clarification. ‘Something like that I guess. I don’t know if titles matter – the only title that matters is president, he replied. (Trump said Thursday that he was a “personal emissary.”)
On Wednesday’s The Beat, Trump’s former campaign manager, now reinstated as his “senior adviser,” asked Melber about the second claim and its origins.
“The president has made a decision to continue to bring members to his team who want to make sure he succeeds,” he said.
After being fired from Trump’s 2016 campaign just weeks before the 2016 convention, Lewandowski praised Trump’s new leadership team, saying he had no intention of looking at the operation’s books.
“It’s a campaign of addition, not a campaign of subtraction,” he said.
“I am honored and humbled that the president asked me to come back to bring this campaign to a triumphant success on Election Day in early November.”
