MSNBC's Mark Halperin trumpeted the apparent power of the media on Monday's Morning Joe during a discussion about Donald Trump attacking the morning show: "The only way a Republican can win for president, I believe, is if the press favors them in coverage." Halperin then oddly claimed that Trump "had a chance to have better press coverage than Hillary Clinton. He's missing that chance. He's alienating a lot of people in the media." When Mika Brzezinski responded, "I don't think we're that important," the journalist retorted, "Oh, we are — the media overall....The press is really powerful." [video below]
The billionaire presidential candidate and Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough had gotten into a war of words on Twitter on Friday. Brzezinski led the segment by hinting at Trump's latest attack on Scarborough and his MSNBC show. Halperin read the Twitter post in question: "Donald Trump just Tweeted a minute ago, 'Wow. I hear @morningjoe...has gone really hostile ever since I said I won't do or watch the show anymore. They misrepresent my positions!'" He soon added, "I bet he watches. It's a good show."
Scarborough agreed with Halperin's assessment and snarked, "How you doing, Donald? It's very funny when you say you don't watch the show. I think it's cute. Keep it up. It makes us feel good that you care that much — that you Tweet about us."
The Bloomberg Politics editor and With All Due Respect host then gave his "the only way a Republican can win for president" claim. Morning Joe contributor Mike Barnicle replied, "I think you can make a strong case for the fact that Donald Trump has marginalized the media like no other candidate has." Halperin countered that "he [Trump] has, but...I think you still need the general drift of things to be in your favor. You just do. The press is really powerful."
Brzezinski interjected by citing the media's documented bias in favor of the current president: "Look at Obama." Halperin replied, "Look at Bush, though." Scarborough ended the discussion by underlining that "at a time that he needs to grow and get ready to move into the general election, he is just picking petty fights with people he shouldn't be fighting — which, by the way, hurts him more than it hurts us."
Later in the morning, on NBC's Today, Halperin underlined that "the big question in the election right now, I think, is will Donald Trump will held to a different standard as the nominee of the Republican Party than he was when he ran against the other Republicans. If he's held to a tougher standard on policy, on consistency, on tone and attitude, it's going to be very hard for him to win."
The full transcript of the discussion segment from the May 9, 2016 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Wow—
JOE SCARBOROUGH: What's that?
BRZEZINSKI: That didn't take long.
SCARBOROUGH: He didn't let — take long. We got a Donald Tweet.
BRZEZINSKI: There's — we were just about to report on a Tweet war when we found ourself caught in the middle — sort of.
SCARBOROUGH: What's the Tweet? What's the Donald Tweet?
MARK HALPERIN, MANAGING EDITOR, BLOOMBERG POLITICS: Oh, I've got to call it up here—
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah — go ahead—
HALPERIN: Donald Trump Tweet—
BRZEZINSKI: Do the search on your machine there—
HALPRIN: Yeah. Donald Trump just Tweeted a minute ago, 'Wow. I hear @morningjoe has really — has gone really hostile ever since I said I won't do or watch the show anymore'—
SCARBOROUGH: We never said that, actually—
HALPERIN: 'They misrepresent my positions — exclamation point'
SCARBOROUGH: Exclamation point — no, I—
BRZEZINSKI: What have we — went wrong about?
SCARBOROUGH: When — when did he say that he wasn't going to watch the show? I must have missed that one.
HALPERIN: Maybe privately.
SCARBOROUGH: Maybe — maybe he said it to himself.
HALPERIN: I bet he watches. It's a good show.
SCARBOROUGH: You know what? He watches. He watches.
HALPERIN: Say hi to him.
SCARBOROUGH: How you doing, Donald? It's very funny when you say you don't watch the show. I think it's cute. Keep it up. It makes us feel good that you care that much — that you Tweet about us. You have like eight million followers — or is it 20 million?
BRZEZINSKI: It's a lot—
HALPERIN: Eight million on Twitter—
SCARBOROUGH: I don't know, but I can tell you, if you — if you add in Armed Forces Radio, Mike, right now, 241 million people across the planet watching 'Morning Joe' right now. (Brzezinski laughs) It's very impressive. So, anyway—
HALPERIN: He — he — I'll tell you — I'll tell you this; (Scarborough laughs) I'll tell you this: the only way a Republican can win — the only way a Republican can win for president, I believe, is if the press favors them in coverage—
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah—
HALPERIN: And he had a chance to have better press coverage than Hillary Clinton—
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah—
HALPERIN: He's — he's missing that chance. He's alienating a lot of people in the media—
BRZEZINSKI: Well, I don't think we're that important—
HALPERIN: Oh, we are — the media overall—
BRZEZINSKI: But I do think what he's been saying—
MIKE BARNICLE: You can — I think you can make a strong case for the fact that — that Donald Trump has marginalized the media like no other candidate has.
HALPERIN: He has, but I don't — I think you still need — you still need the general drift of things to be in your favor. You just do. The press is really powerful.
BRZEZINSKI: Look at Obama.
SCARBOROUGH: So what we found out is—
HALPERIN: Look at Bush, though—
SCARBOROUGH: He's still — at a time that he needs to grow and get ready to move into the general election, he is just picking petty fights with people he shouldn't be fighting, so—
HALPERIN: Exactly; exactly—
SCARBOROUGH: Which, by the way, hurts him more than it hurts us people.
