Joe Scarborough has had enough of the criticism. That was clear on Thursday morning, as the “Morning Joe” co-host was hot under the collar while going off on critics who skewered him and his wife, co-host Mika Brzezinski, for recently meeting with president-elect Donald Trump.
“You can do two things at the same time: You can say he had fascist rhetoric and still go in and talk to him,” Scarborough said.
“Yea,” Brzezinski chimed in.
“You know why I do that? to get the read of the man,” Scarborough said.
Scarborough’s passionate comments come after the pair have been criticized in recent weeks for meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month. A healthy chunk of “Morning Joe” viewers revolted immediately after hearing about the meeting, and the show’s ratings have taken a noticeable hit post-meeting. Scarborough and Brzezinski meeting with Trump was an abrupt 180 degree turn for the pair, at least in the eyes of many viewers, after they’d called him a “fascist” several times in recent years.
On Thursday, Scarborough continued his rant by saying he has met with Middle East leaders and French President Emmanuel Macron, among others, for the same reason he met with Trump: to inform his readers.
“You know why I do that? To get the read of the leader, to get the read of where the country is going,” Scarborough said. “So I can come back here and talk to you, and let you know what the hell is going on!”
That allows him, he added, to provide “context, insight, and background.”
You can watch the full clip above.
