Jerry Springer said there’s one big difference between his infamous TV show — known for its propensity for onstage violence and fireworks — and the current presidential race, where violence and fireworks have broken out at Donald Trump rallies.
“If you look closely at the screen, you won’t find one person there running for president — that’s the difference,” Springer told CNN’s Brooke Baldwin on “Newsroom” Tuesday in condemning what he’s observed at Trump events.
The talk show host, Hillary Clinton supporter and former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati was weighing in on the 2016 race and Trump’s success.
He said comparisons to the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Conventions were misplaced because at the time there was more widespread volatility in the country and no politician was behind the disruption. In contrast, he blamed Trump for stoking the tension on display today.
“Never before has the candidate himself been the one to instigate whatever the problems are,” Springer said. “And so yes, that has created a problem. But frankly … I don’t think there’s any way that Donald Trump gets elected as president of the United States.”
Baldwin then played a clip of Springer’s long-running show, on which average Americans often get into brawls.
“What a great show that was,” Springer joked.
But he added it shouldn’t be a model for a presidential race.
“The show is entertainment, the show is a circus, the show is stupid. I’ve said that for 25 years. The show is what it is, but my gosh when you’re talking about running the free world, running America, what kind of nation we ought to be, you don’t go to a television show,” he said. “I don’t want someone who’s been on my show to be president of the United States.”
Springer, though, wasn’t surprised to see a celebrity mounting a strong bid for president, saying that since President Ronald Reagan, a generation of Americans has grown up believing government is the problem in America, creating the perfect environment for an outsider to run for president.
“The celebrity in politics was inevitable,” Springer said.
