On Wednesday, MSNBC’s Morning Joe wasted no time trashing President Trump’s visit to Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Co-host Mika Brzezinski repeatedly suggested there was “something wrong with” Trump as pundits ganged up to accuse the President of not showing sufficient empathy toward victims of the disaster.
Just minutes into the show, Brzezinski seized on liberal news outlets denouncing Trump:
...a pool report from the Dallas Morning News read in part this, “Reporters heard no mention of the dead, dying or displaced Texans and no expression of sympathy for them. The message was services are coming and Texans will be OK.” Or as Politico framed it, quote, “The President didn’t meet a single storm victim, see an inch of rain or get near a flooded street. He spent far more time in the air than on the ground.”
Fellow co-host Joe Scarborough observed: “...that’s what presidents usually do,” prompting Brzezinski to interrupt: “Humans, actually.” Scarborough continued: “But this isn’t – this just isn’t your...regular president, so anybody expecting him to go down the checklist and thanking the first responders and showing empathy for the flood victims, that’s just not what he does.”
NBC reporter Carol Lee decried the President’s performance: “And it was very striking that he didn't mention the number of people who have died or even, you know, sort of try to empathize with the fact that people are genuinely suffering....he missed a mark yesterday....definitely missed one of the big things that presidents – and the nation expects the president to do.”
Liberal commentator Mike Barnicle piled on: “But human nature doesn’t need a learning curve, the idea of empathy doesn’t need a learning curve. You either have it internally, instinctively, or you don’t have it....that’s what struck me yesterday about the President’s inability to mention death and the suffering that’s going on.”
Scarborough condescendingly explained that no one should expect anything more of Trump: “I’m not defending him. I'm not saying that it’s what most normal human beings do, but nobody can be shocked that Donald Trump looked at the hurricane first as a good chance to get good ratings...”
New York Times Political Correspondent Nick Confessore declared:
I do notice over and over again, and I’ve watched him now take five or six swings at a message of support or empathy, and trying as best as he can sometimes. There’s still always something a little off, right? When he says, “Thanks to the first responders,” where he says, “Wow, this is a great crowd.” It’s just not his wavelength to do this comforter-in-chief stuff.
Scarborough agreed: “It’s not, it’s just not.” Brzezinski ranted that it was more evidence of the President being mentally unstable: “I think the reason we’re talking about this is because I think his personality, and maybe even to go a step beyond that, is in question and some argue that there’s something missing or something wrong with him. So that’s why people are seeing a big void here.”
Scarborough remarked: “The reason we’re talking about it is because it is so foreign to him.” Brzezinski interjected: “To be human and empathetic.” Scarborough became annoyed with his fiancée: “No, if you want to add that, you can, Mika. I’m just saying – let me say it and then don’t finish my sentences for me.”
He continued:
It is so foreign for a president to go into a flood zone and act that way....I’m just saying, for people suffering in the storm, if you claim you care about people suffering in a storm and you want recovery, even if the President of the United States is incapable of empathizing with those people or empathizing for the law enforcement officer who died, or empathizing that the first responders out there are doing extraordinary work, whether he knows it or not, showing up, even if it’s for good ratings, will help the people of those areas because the bureaucracies will snap to attention.
Lee echoed that sentiment: “But I also think in terms of the President’s – the way he handled this trip and whether or not he expressed empathy and the criticism of that, it’s also – no one’s going to remember that if this in fact works out....” Brzezinski sneered: “No, I think the only reason the conversation is being had here is because we’re curious about his sort of overall status.”
Just on Monday, MSNBC was attacking Trump for even going to Texas. Now the network apparently thinks he didn’t do enough while on the trip.
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Here are excerpts of the August 30 panel segment:
6:06 AM ET
(...)
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: The President and First Lady visited Corpus Christi for an update on relief efforts and later arrived in Austin to tour an emergency center. During his stops, President Trump thanked Texas officials for their response and promised federal aid.
DONALD TRUMP: We’re going to be working with Congress on helping out the state of Texas. It’s going to be a costly proposition because again, probably – Ted Cruz is here and Senator thank you very much, Senator Cornyn, and we’ll be working with these characters over here and I think we’ll come through with really – you know, with the right solution. But probably there’s never been anything so expensive in our country’s history, there’s never been anything so historic in terms of damage.
BRZEZINSKI: Before that, outside a fire house in Corpus Christi, the President waved the Texas flag and addressed a crowd of people who had gathered.
TRUMP: Thank you, everybody. I just want to say we love you, you are special, we’re here to take care, it’s going well, and I want to thank you for coming out. We’re going to get you back and operating immediately. Thank you, everybody. What a crowd, what a turnout.
BRZEZINSKI: After those remarks, a pool report from the Dallas Morning News read in part this, “Reporters heard no mention of the dead, dying or displaced Texans and no expression of sympathy for them. The message was services are coming and Texans will be OK.” Or as Politico framed it, quote, “The President didn’t meet a single storm victim, see an inch of rain or get near a flooded street. He spent far more time in the air than on the ground.” And Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary to President Bush, is among those taking issue with what the President did not say.
ARI FLEISCHER: There was something missing from what President Trump said, the empathy for the people who suffer. That, in my opinion, should have been the first thing he should have said, was that his heart went out to those people in Houston who are going through this and that the government is here to help them to recover from this. And then secondly, the job of the President is to thank those who are the first responders doing all the rescuing. Their homes are often flooded, but they’re sacrificing themselves to save others and the President needs to thank them.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: So, Carol Lee, that’s what presidents usually do. But this isn’t – this just isn’t your...
BRZEZINSKI: Humans, actually.
SCARBOROUGH: ...regular president, so anybody expecting him to go down the checklist and thanking the first responders and showing empathy for the flood victims, that’s just not what he does.
CAROL LEE: No, and if you look at – there’s three things that the president would typically do in a situation like this. And that is reassure people that services are coming and everything’s going to be okay. You try to inspire them, which we saw the President do by holding the flag and saying Texans are gonna come back better than ever. And then it’s empathize. And it was very striking that he didn't mention the number of people who have died or even, you know, sort of try to empathize with the fact that people are genuinely suffering.
And it is a learning curve – first of all, it’s a learning curve for any president. We saw President Obama have this learning curve too, but this president in particular, just it’s not his natural go-to. And he missed a mark yesterday. And he will, you know, going back this weekend, have a chance to do it over, but he definitely missed one of the big things that presidents – and the nation expects the president to do.
(...)
6:10 AM ET
MIKE BARNICLE: You know, Carol is right. I mean, the presidency certainly has a learning curve to it. It’s something that certainly Donald Trump is unused to knowing anything about, the presidency. But human nature doesn’t need a learning curve, the idea of empathy doesn’t need a learning curve. You either have it internally, instinctively, or you don’t have it. And I don’t think there’s anyone in America, or very few people in America, watching these scenes who are not stunned by the scope and the relentless nature of this tragedy.
And the staff work that was lacking, that’s what struck me yesterday about the President’s inability to mention death and the suffering that’s going on. The staff work concerning Sergeant Steve Perez, 61 years of age, two years – two days after his 61st birthday, drowns, a police officer. That the President wasn’t told about this and mentioned it. The whole day was kind of stunning in his inability to mention.
BRZEZINSKI: Strange.
SCARBOROUGH: But Noah [Rothman], that’s just not who he is. I’m not defending him. I'm not saying that it’s what most normal human beings do, but nobody can be shocked that Donald Trump looked at the hurricane first as a good chance to get good ratings and, you know, getting Arpaio a pardon.
(...)
6:13 AM ET
NICK CONFESSORE: I do notice over and over again, and I’ve watched him now take five or six swings at a message of support or empathy, and trying as best as he can sometimes. There’s still always something a little off, right? When he says, “Thanks to the first responders,” where he says, “Wow, this is a great crowd.” It’s just not his wavelength to do this comforter-in-chief stuff.
SCARBOROUGH: It’s not, it’s just not.
BRZEZINSKI: But that’s – I mean, I think the reason we’re talking about this is because I think his personality, and maybe even to go a step beyond that, is in question and some argue that there’s something missing or something wrong with him. So that’s why people are seeing a big void here.
SCARBOROUGH: The reason we’re talking about it is because it is so foreign to him.
BRZEZINSKI: To be human and empathetic.
SCARBOROUGH: No, if you want to add that, you can, Mika. I’m just saying – let me say it and then don’t finish my sentences for me. It is so foreign for a president to go into a flood zone and act that way. It is so foreign for a president to be promoting caps, you know, that he’s wearing. It is so foreign for a president to say, “Yes, I pardoned a guy who was complimented by being compared to the Ku Klux Klan in the middle of a hurricane because I know it would get higher ratings.” All of that is very foreign and that is why we’re talking about it....
I’m just saying, for people suffering in the storm, if you claim you care about people suffering in a storm and you want recovery, even if the President of the United States is incapable of empathizing with those people or empathizing for the law enforcement officer who died, or empathizing that the first responders out there are doing extraordinary work, whether he knows it or not, showing up, even if it’s for good ratings, will help the people of those areas because the bureaucracies will snap to attention.
(...)
6:20 AM ET
LEE: But I also think in terms of the President’s – the way he handled this trip and whether or not he expressed empathy and the criticism of that, it’s also – no one’s going to remember that if this in fact works out....
BRZEZINSKI: No, I think the only reason the conversation is being had here is because we’re curious about his sort of overall status.
(...)
