Joe Scarborough's tactic is pathetically transparent. The biggest knock on Joe Biden is that he is too old to be president. A recent Associated Press poll found that 77% of Americans believe that—including an astounding 69% of Democrats!
So for some time now, Scarborough has been on the counter-attack, trying to paint Donald Trump as also enfeebled. Scarborough's crusade continued on today's Morning Joe, with Scarborough repeatedly describing Trump as "shuffling around," "losing it," "looking lost," "in decline," having lost "5,6,7 steps," "not well." etc.
And as you'll see in the screencap, the segment's running theme was about Trump, "Dazed and Confused."
Jonathan Lemire chipped in, saying that he had covered Trump for the New York Daily News 15 or 20 years ago, and "it's very clear he's not the guy he was then."
Look. Trump is 77. It wouldn't be surprising if he were not the same guy he was years ago. But Scarborough is playing a dangerous game. By raising the issue of Trump's mental acuity, Scarborough inevitably makes people think about Biden and his blatant decrepitude.
Does Scarborough really want to make this a race about who is more physically vital and mentally sharp? That is a game Biden is sure to lose.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
1/19/24
6:00 am ETJOE SCARBOROUGH: We'll get to the Hitler stuff in a second. But let's start, though --
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: I'll make a chart.
SCARBOROUGH: -- with the fact that Donald Trump is not well. We know this. But this guy, he's looking so old. He's shuffling around. And he really does think that Barack Obama is still President of the United States.
. . .
What do they say if someone says, well, then Joe Biden could order Seal Team Six this morning to assassinate Donald Trump? And he would be immune, by Donald Trump's arguments. It is pure, sheer, authoritariasm and tyranny. So we have that part of it. It is Trump at his most dangerous.
But also, Trump at his most detached from reality. He's really losing it. You, you, we've been getting glimpses now of him shuffling around, and, and, and looking lost. And getting up on stage, talking about World War II, talking about President Obama.
Gene, this is, this is again, this is Donald Trump detached from reality. Again, thinking, you know, that World War II is upon us and he's running against Barack Hussein Obama.
That's one part of it. And we've seen images of him over the past couple of weeks. He's not, he's just not doing well, it doesn't seem, physically. Trump has lost so many steps. You know, we always talk about long we've known him. Reverend Al, how long we've known him. We've known him a long time.
MIKA: Yes we have.
SCARBOROUGH: That guy, that I'm watching now. I, that guy hasn't lost one step. That guy's lost five, six, seven steps. And he still thinks he's running against Barack Obama.
And, and so, I mean, he's shuffling around. I guess I, really, I seriously, I, I, I think it's going to be harder and harder for the campaign to manage this guy who, it's just my opinion, looks like he's in a serious state of decline, and seriously, is so confused.
. . .
JONATHAN LEMIRE: Yeah, I mean I was a Metro reporter at the New York Daily News, covered Trump from time to time 15, 20 years ago. And it's very clear he's not, he's not the guy he was then.
