After President Obama singled out MSNBC for opposing the trade deal the U.S. is negotiating with Pacific countries, one of the network’s hosts, Ed Schultz, challenged Obama to a debate on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
During a speech at the Organizing for Action Summit in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Obama mentioned opposition to the TPP and defended his support for the deal.
“If you were watching MSNBC and all of this stuff thinking, ‘Oh, man, I love Obama, but what’s going on here?'” Obama said. “So I want to set the record straight here. I want everybody to be clear about what we’re doing. Because I believe in what I’m doing here.”
During “The Ed Show” on Thursday evening, Schultz played a clip from Obama’s speech and proceeded to rail against the President for supporting the trade deal and singling out MSNBC.
“If you want to go face to face with me, President Obama, I’m ready to go because I have the facts,” Schultz said.
Schultz said he assumed Obama was talking about “The Ed Show,” and noted that Obama has never sat for an interview on the show.
“I supported you big time. I was the first liberal talker to support you,” Schultz said. “Mr. President, you can take shots at this network, but I guarantee you, you are wrong on this.”
Schultz, as well as progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), has argued that the TPP will hurt the American economy and workers. Schultz said on Thursday that Obama has turned his back on the unions that elected him.
“American workers will suffer if this deal goes through,” Schultz said. “I’d love to talk to you face-to-face, Mr. President.”
Obama also recently criticized Warren for her opposition to the TPP, stating that she was “wrong on this.”
Watch the clip via MSNBC:
H/t Mediaite
