Ted Koppel on Trump: 'It's time to start thinking of what ISIS wants and then not doing it'

(Image credit: NBC Meet the Press)

The news analysis panel on Sunday's Meet the Press included veteran TV news journalist Ted Koppel, and after the other three guests and host Chuck Todd all agreed that Donald Trump's support is coming mostly from blue collar voters who consider themselves on the moderate or liberal end of the GOP spectrum, Todd asked Koppel what he thinks of the Trump electorate. The former Nightline host took the conversation in a different direction. He agreed with Todd that Trump voters are heirs (sometimes literally) to the disaffected voters of the 1960s and '70s (Archie Bunker voters?), then turned to the Islamic State:

The irony is they think they're being tough on ISIS and Trump thinks he's being tough on ISIS.... Donald Trump is, in effect, the Recruiter-in-Chief for ISIS. ISIS wants nothing more right now than to have the world divided into Judeo-Christian on one side and the Islamic world on the other. That's exactly what Trump is doing for them. I think it's time we start with thinking about what ISIS wants and then not doing it. [Ted Koppel]

Which, really, seems like pretty sound advice. You can watch Koppel's remarks below. Peter Weber

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.