Maybe Mika Brzezinski shouldn’t announce every thought that pops into her head. On Wednesday’s Morning Joe, she suggested that Donald Trump has a sexually transmitted disease and “raided” his former doctor’s office to cover it up. MSNBC panelist Elise Jordan kicked off the discussion by suggesting that working for the administration is “the political equivalent of an STD.”
This prompted Brzezinski to speculate on the removal of medical files from Trump’s former doctor: “Wait a minute, maybe that's why he raided his doctor's office!” The MSNBC co-host exclaimed this with the intensity of a revelation, but it only resulted in awkward silence from her co-panelists. Then laughter followed.
It would seem that promoting conspiracy theories might be the opposite of the public lecture Brzezinski gave earlier this week about civility and the need to be respectful. MSNBC co-host Stephanie Ruhle also appeared on the show and compared Trump to “every time I’ve dated an awful jerk out there.” She sneered:
It truly like every time I've ever dated an awful jerk out there and then thought, you know what? “I'm going to be the girl to change him.” And every person who touches President Trump thinks that: “I'm going to be the girl that turns this guy around." And nobody can because this is who he is.
And this woman is supposed to be one of the straight news reporters on MSNBC.
A partial transcript is below. Click "expand" for more.
Morning Joe
5/2/18
8:38am ETMIKA BRZEZINSKI: Tell us what you told us off the air about everybody who goes into the administration and then responds to Pence.
STEPHANIE RUHLE: It truly like every time I've ever dated an awful jerk out there and then thought, you know what? “I'm going to be the girl to change him.” And every person who touches President Trump thinks that: “I'm going to be the girl that turns this guy around, and nobody can because this is who he is. John Kelly is the latest example of someone in the White House who is saying what a lot of people think. When the President wants to take 25,000 troops out of South Korea on the eve of the winter Olympics, when he openly talks and has no idea about policy or politics around immigration, the economy and trade, one might call him an idiot.
BRZEZINSKI: Or a moron.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: [Looking at MSNBC graphic of administration officials allegedly insulting Trump.] This looks like a movie post, although not the sort of reviews you want from Peter Travers. Reported insults about President Trump by top White House officials. An idiot, says John Kelly, White House chief of staff. Rex Tillerson calls him a a blanking moron. Gary Cohn, dumb as blank. A dope, intelligence of a kindergartner says H.R. McMaster. Many people will actually believe that was an insult to kindergartners. Reince Priebus calling him an idiot. Boffo!
RUHLE: If you do this, can you go to work every day and lead the White House? We know from Kellyanne Conway, unless you show true worship of the grand master wizard that is the president, then you're out skies with him and that’s the position John Kelly is in.
ELISE JORDAN: I like this analogy from Stephanie. You leave with the political equivalent of an STD to talk about something Donald Trump worries about constantly. It’s something you just don’t get rid of easily.
SCARBOROUGH: Donald Trump would even say this would be like one of his staffer's personal Vietnam.
BRZEZINSKI: Wait a minute, maybe that's why he raided his doctor's office!
[Awkward silence.]
SCARBOROUGH: So, Mike Lupica.
MIKE LUPICA: Thanks for teeing me up that way, Elise.
