As the voting results started streaming in tonight, MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Mika Brzezinski, and Joe Scarborough all gushed over Donald Trump's evolution in tone on the campaign trail since Iowa. Brzezinski, for example, hailed the New York real-estate developer as "more learned" and exuding less "bravado."
"Do you think he's one of those guys that's better when they're hit a little hard? That life's knocks make 'em better," Matthews posited, comparing Trump to California's Jerry Brown, who "used to be insufferable" but is "now a pretty good guy."
"You know what," Scarborough noted, donning his psychologist's cap, "he is a guy from Queens who's always felt like he was treated poorly, from the outer boroughs."
"He's the anti-Rubio, he's the anti-politician," Scarborough praised Trump moments later, recalling how when he sat down with the Morning Joe crew lately for a chat "we were talking to him, he kept talking to us, they're pulling him out, Mr. Trump, Mr. Trump, 10 seconds. And they literally push him out" of his chair because he was running late.
As you can see, MSNBC's tone about Trump is markedly different now than months ago. To borrow from Matthews's line about Jerry Brown, the network found him "insufferable" then but "a pretty good guy" now that he seems to be on a long march to nomination and slowly besting conservative after conservative who's being pushed out of a crowded primary.
Here are the video and the relevant transcript (emphases mine):
MSNBC
Special New Hampshire coverage: The Place for Politics 2016
February 9, 2016; 7:24 p.m.MIKA BRZEZINKSI: Um, the past 24 hours, late last night, early this morning, we spent time with the Trumps, with Donald Trump and his family.
I see a big evolution from Iowa. He’s not going to say he's won this thing until he knows he’s won it if he wins it, and he's not sure he’s going to win it. And you saw a real change in tone. Much less bravado, much more learned, since the caucus, um, and to, and more himself, very confident, but holding back on calling it for himself.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Do you think he’s one of those guy’s that’s better when they’re hit a little hard? That life’s knocks make ‘em better? Jerry Brown of California used to be insufferable –
BRZEZINSKI: When his back’s up.
MATTHEWS: – in the old days. And now he’s a pretty good guy.
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah, I think he is.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: You know what, he is a guy from Queens, who has always felt like he’s treated poorly from the outer boroughs.
[…]
MATTHEWS: But I was thinking, does he know how good his message was going to be when he started delivering it?
BRZEZINSKI: Yes, yes, absolutely. Look, we’ve spent time with him, we know him. I don’t agree with most of what he says in terms of any policies that he’s slightly alluded to. But I’ve always thought this guy knows he can win, and he knows how to evolve on the fly. There’s no one helping him. It’s all right here and right here [motions to head and gut]. And he goes with it. And he’s ripped the mask off of candidates who are prepared and who have people kind of telling them and polling their – look at what happened to Marco Rubio this week. It’s all because the dynamic of this race is now who can actually talk on the fly and connect with people without preparing.
SCARBOROUGH: He’s the anti-Rubio, he’s the anti-politician –
MATTHEWS: Spontaneous.
SCARBOROUGH: – we were talking to him, he kept talking to us, they're pulling him out, Mr. Trump, Mr. Trump, 10 seconds. And they literally push him out. He’s got his notes just kind of tucked into his pocket and said, oh well, and went out.
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