If there were an award given to the most hyperbolic analysis of President Trump, MSNBC Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough would be the winner. In hour one of the Thursday show, Scarborough said that he "knows" that Trump "is not disturbed" by reports that a Coast Guard lieutenant was arrested for planning attacks on journalists and Democratic politicians. In hour two, Scarborough doubled down.
After co-host Mika Brzezinski said that Trump's silence on Twitter speaks "just as loudly as other things he said," Scarborough went further: "Why would he condemn something he supports?" Scarborough, who views Trump as a lying liar who lies all the time, said without any evidence, "his silence shows this is exactly what he wants."
Washington Examiner columnist Kristen Soltis Anderson provided some nuance to the conversation. She argued that Trump's rhetoric towards the press was not something to be condoned, but also pointed out previous attacks on media and Democratic targets had a common factor in that the perpetrators had mental health problems.
Even the tiniest bit of nuance was too much for Scarborough who proceeded to interrupt Anderson almost non-stop for 40 seconds, despite the fact that she agreed with him more than he was willing to concede.
Over the course of his many interruptions, Scarborough asked about Coast Guard lieutenant and Anderson agreed, saying, "100% inspired by the rhetoric from the President. My point is...," but Scarborough would not let her finish her point and demanded, "What about the pipe bomber?" To which Anderson also agreed, "Yep, that was inspired by the President too, you can look at his van..." Scarborough then asked about the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, by which point Anderson appeared to finally be losing patience with his endless interruptions: "Joe, let me finish my point," which was, "even in the absence of President Trump... you have individuals who are unstable and they're adding existing comments to that existing recipe, is a recipe for bad."
During Anderson's argument: that Trump inspired various would-be terrorists, but that crazy people have attacked journalists before, Scarborough interrupted to ask about the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter seven times.
Scarborough's need for facts is not as consistent as he claims, because to answer his question, it is well known that the Pittsburgh shooter hated Trump and held the deranged anti-Semitic view that the President was a pawn in the worldwide Jewish conspiracy.
Anderson told Scarborough that, "You have put words in my mouth. I'm not saying this is not because of the President...," at which point Scarborough interrupted again, before Anderson was finally allowed to finish, "I'm saying there are existing layers of crazy and when you add additional rhetoric added into that, it creates a more unstable situation." Anderson stated that she believes that Trump views his relationship with the media "like pro wrestling" where "nobody is going to get hurt" and that "I wish he would stop."
Anderson provided sensible criticism of Trump in that one can criticize the media without calling them "enemy of the people." However, Scarborough responded to Trump's hyperbole with hyperbole of his own. For him, Trump is not simply a politician who sometimes uses over-the-top rhetoric, but an aspiring autocrat or even a budding Stalinist, who either does not care or actively welcomes terror attacks against those he perceives to be his enemies.
Here is a transcript of the February 21 discussion:
MSNBC
Morning Joe
7:08 AM ET
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Well, and I think the deafening silence on his Twitter account this morning says quite frankly just as loudly as other things he has said.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: He's guilty. He knows this is his responsibility. That's the silence.
BRZEZINSKI: He should condemn what has happened.
SCARBOROUGH: Why would he condemn something that he supports? Why would he condemn something that he has encouraged throughout his entire campaign? He has said during rallies as we've all talked about before, “Go out and beat up as many people as you want to, I will pay for your lawyer bills.” He said that a member of Congress who was running for Congress, who sucker punched a reporter, knocked him down, was arrested for assault and battery, I believe, said that was his kind of guy because the reporter actually got punched for simply asking a question about health care. And Donald Trump celebrated Donald Trump celebrated the good ol' days when people would just get laid out and carried out on a stretcher, as Donald Trump said. No, listen, he's always, as we've said, he's always encouraged this, he's always celebrated this. He is not shocked by this apparently his silence shows this is exactly what he wants.
...
KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON: Well, we know that voters and not just conservative voters do have serious reservations about whether they think they can trust the media, that those numbers have been declining over the course of the last decade, but there's a really big difference between saying, you know, I don't know that I can trust everything I see in the news and I'm going to go Google search to try to figure out how I can cause physical harm to reporters. There's a huge leap there. There are always crazy individuals out there. We had the newsroom shooting that tragically took the lives of some journalists in Annapolis not too long ago. That was inspired by, sort of, local issues, personal mental health issues. The shooting of Gabby Gifford back during the Obama Administration, wasn’t inspired by politics, was inspired by a young man with severe mental issues who thought the money was being manipulated. But the --SCARBOROUGH: Hold on. What do you think this is being inspired by?
ANDERSON: No, this gentleman, the Coast Guard guy, 100% inspired by rhetoric from the President. My point is…
SCARBOROUGH: What about the pipe bomber?
ANDERSON: Yep, that was inspired by the President too, you can look at his van….
SCARBOROUGH: What about the synagogue? What about the synagogue?
ANDERSON: … Joe, let me finish my point…
SCARBOROUGH: What about the synagogue? What about the synagogue shooter? Who was the synagogue shooter inspired by?
ANDERSON: … is even in the absence of President Trump…
SCARBOROUGH: Who was the synagogue shooter inspired by? When he’s talking about caravans
ANDERSON: … you have individual who are unstable and they're adding existing comments to that existing recipe, is a recipe for bad…
SCARBOROUGH: Who is the synagogue shooting inspired by as well, talking about caravans?
ANDERSON: It was in part by white supremacists and the caravan. Joe, you have put words in my mouth. I'm not saying this is not because of the President…
SCARBOROUGH: No, I’m just asking three questions
ANDERSON: … I'm saying there are existing layers of crazy and when you have additional rhetoric added into that it creates a more unstable situation-- I 100% think President Trump views this like pro wrestling and nobody is going to get hurt and my point is even the absence of rhetoric these are already dangerous professions, the media, politics and viewing it as, “This is just pro wrestling and I can say things and it doesn't matter,” is a dangerous thing for the President to be doing and I wish he would stop.
…
SCARBOROUGH: Michael Steele, what else does he need to see other than 11 people gunned down --
BRZEZINSKI: I guess he's mentally unstable? He would have to be absolutely impaired…
SCARBOROUGH: He would have to be mentally impaired …
BRZEZINSKI: …not to be able to do the math
SCARBOROUGH: …to see 11 people gunned down in a synagogue inspired by Donald Trump’s words…
BRZEZINSKI: Unstable or impaired
SCARBOROUGH: … to see pipe bombs around to try to threaten or hurt or kill, again, people that Donald Trump has attacked as his political opponents, his political enemies and now this Coast Guard situation where this guy had stockpiled weapons for some time and had a plan to go out and gun down people that Donald Trump identified as his enemies on Capitol Hill and in the press.
