Throughout this election cycle, Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, has had a love-hate relationship with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. This morning, though, things got ugly as The Donald and Scarborough sparred on Twitter.
The Donald Gets Personal
In his usual nasty form, Trump lashed out on Twitter at Morning Joe, and at co-host Mika Brzezinski in particular.
Tried watching low-rated @Morning_Joe this morning, unwatchable! @morningmika is off the wall, a neurotic and not very bright mess!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2016
An hour later, he followed up with:
Some day, when things calm down, I'll tell the real story of @JoeNBC and his very insecure long-time girlfriend, @morningmika. Two clowns!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2016
The speculation that Scarborough and Brzezinski are in a relationship was first mentioned on The New York Post’s gossip page in June of this year. But should a presidential candidate really be dabbling in tabloid-style crap? Then again, that’s nothing new for the Donald.
Scarborough Fights Back
Joe Scarborough responded by suggesting Trump check himself.
Neurotic and not very bright?
Look in the mirror. https://t.co/FPaqGW9JWv— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) August 22, 2016
And then followed that up with a smackdown of Trump’s insinuation that Morning Joe is suffering.
Thanks for watching.
Morning Joe is enjoying it's best ratings ever thanks to obsessed fans like you. GLAD? https://t.co/FPaqGW9JWv— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) August 22, 2016
Trump’s latest targets have been the media as a whole. He’s been calling them out regularly at rallies, leading to threats from his supporters being lobbed at the folks stuck in the press pens. The Donald can’t stand that he’s losing, so of COURSE it must be be the media’s fault!
Morning Joe‘s Senior Producer With The KO Punch
As if to give a big ol’ finger to Trump after this tête–à–tête, Jesse Rodriguez, senior producer of Morning Joe, tweeted the following:
.@Morning_Joe breaking ratings records last month: We had our biggest total viewer audience for the timeslot in MSNBC’s 20 year history
— Jesse Rodriguez (@JesseRodriguez) August 22, 2016
I can’t say that I’m personally a fan of Morning Joe, but this was completely out of line for a presidential candidate. Saying he’ll “tell the real story” when “things calm down” is childish, boorish behavior … which is, of course, what everyone has come to expect from the Orange Menace.
Twitter video screengrab.