Scarborough Calls for Post-Trump ‘Rubio Reset,' As If He'd Actually Back Marco?

On Wednesday's Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough said: “Let us hope, post-Trump, there’s more of a Marco Rubio reset.”

Is that the sound of Joe volunteering for Marco ’28? This would be a little weird, since ten years ago, he was slamming Rubio as the emptiest suit in the room, and he was yelling at Nicolle Wallace for being too pro-Rubio.

Scarborough cast Rubio as a throwback to pre-Trump Republicanism, praising his “long-held beliefs” while noting he has “cowered at times.”

Is this just analysis—or is Scarborough signaling the kind of Republican he might actually back in the post-Trump era? Can he back a Republican and still be in the good graces of the MS NOW audience?

The real test of Scarborough’s hoped-for Rubio reset would come in the general election. If Rubio were to win the Republican nomination, would Scarborough support him against a Democratic opponent? I wouldn't bet the chicken parmigiana on it. 

Axios’s Jim VandeHei then shifted the conversation, suggesting Americans may be reassessing their own behavior:

“Maybe I should be a little bit of a better person. Maybe I should show a little bit of self-restraint.”

Mika Brzezinski closed the exchange with: “Really good point.”

But does that “good point” apply only to Trump and his supporters—or to the people at that table as well?

If anyone on that set could stand to heed a call for “self-restraint,” it would be Joe Scarborough.

Scarborough has spent years leveling some of the harshest rhetoric in cable news at Donald Trump—“Hitler,” “fascist,” “thug,” among them.

When VandeHei talks about the country “sobering up" and exercising restraint, the question is whether Scarborough is prepared to do the same.

And what happens to Morning Joe’s brand, built on harsh anti-Trump, anti-conservative rhetoric, if Scarborough dialed it down—and actually backed Rubio in ’28?

Here's the transcript.

MS NOW
Morning Joe
4/29/26
6:21 am EDT

JOE SCARBOROUGH: There's something else that lies underneath this, Jim. One of the reasons why the King's message was so receptive, and Republicans shouldn't fool themselves, they're not Republicans, MAGA, MAGA people shouldn't fool themselves and say, oh, it's just because it was the King. 

No, it's because he touched upon things that most Americans believe in but Republicans are afraid to say, as they run Washington, D.C. 60% of Americans support NATO. 60% of Americans think America gets a lot out of NATO. 62% of Americans support the United States defending and fighting for Ukraine with economic support. 62%! 

We've talked about this before. Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, the people who hate Ukraine, who prove every day that they hate Ukraine, who hate NATO, who prove every day that they hate NATO, who hate our European allies that helped us take down the Soviet Union, who prove that every day, they are on the wrong side of American history. And the overwhelming majority of Americans are against them. 

So, let us hope, post-Trump, there's more of a Marco Rubio reset, who unfortunately has cowered at times on his long-held beliefs.

But what the King was saying yesterday is what Republicans have always believed, but are now afraid to say because of Donald Trump. 

VANDEHEI: I think you're, you know I think you're right. I think that this is a great country filled with good people. 60% of people or more agree on almost everything topically. And it just gets lost in politics. 

I'm going to use some Wisconsin slang to explain what I think's going on right now. I think people are waking up. It's like, we went on a bender. Everybody drank too damn much, and now they're a little bit ashamed. They did things they didn't think they should do.

And I think they want to sober up. And they want to think about, yeah, maybe I should be a little bit of a better person. Maybe I should show a little bit of self-restraint. 

And again, I think it's just a flicker. And polls aren't going to pick this up. And we're really not going to know for another year or two when we start to see the next political campaign kick off. But you're starting to see that. 

And I would encourage everyone, if you have any time. Go listen to that extended version on 60 Minutes of Ben Sasse's interview. And just listen to how he talks about community, how he talks about humanity. This is a guy who's dying, who's seen it all. He's been in politics. He might have a couple weeks, couple months, left. He speaks so lyrically, so powerfully, so beautifully about what we could be and how close we are to being what we could be. 

And it's just such a beautiful reminder. Listen to that. Listen to the King's speech. Turn off social media and get a life. 

MIKA: Yeah, really good point.