It's a sign of just how well things are going for Donald Trump. Trump's the man that Morning Joe most loves to hate. But apparently bereft of any good material to use against him, Wednesday's show instead was reduced to devoting most of its opening segment to attacking the woman who endorsed him last night: Nikki Haley.
The show opened with a clip of Stephen Colbert imagining Haley saying that she hates herself for endorsing Trump.
John Heilemann pitched in to say that "We found out last night who Nikki Haley really is. Nikki Haley is all about Nikki Haley."
And Joe and Mika never curry favor with politicians to promote their careers?
Scarborough played a clip of Haley from her campaign earlier this year in which she said: "Many of the same politicians who now publicly embrace Trump, privately dread him." Snarked Scarborough: "Nikki Haley meet Nikki Haley."
The Morning Joe crew might have gotten some kicks out of dumping on Haley. But their attack on her did nothing to detract from Donald Trump. To the contrary, it demonstrated his ability to unite the party.
Let's remember: Scarborough's the guy who, the very day after Biden's debate debacle, very unsubtly called on Biden to quit the race. Among Scarborough's lines of attack on Biden was his analogy to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company who put in a performance as bad as Biden's. Scarborough rhetorically asked whether such a CEO would be kept on in his job.
Scarborough also suggested that, just like Barry Goldwater during Watergate told Richard Nixon that it was "over," Democrats need to do the same thing with Biden.
But after presumably getting his knuckles rapped by Mika and the Biden campaign, Scarborough was soon back in his traditional role of abject Biden lackey.
So, people who shamelessly flip-flop from criticizing a candidate to slavishly supporting him? Joe Scarborough: meet Joe Scarborough.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
7/17/24
6:00 am EDTSTEPHEN COLBERT: Trump changed his schedule to show up earlier to hear both Nikki Haley and Ron Desantis. Yes. The former president changed his whole schedule so he could watch his defeated rivals forced to sing his praise, while he drank a Diet Coke made out of a goblet of Chris Christie's skull.
Then, we heard from one of those crushed souls, Nikki Haley, who said this.
NIKKI HALEY: I'll start by making one thing perfectly clear --
COLBERT: -- I hate myself [laughter.] There's no other explanation. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
. . .
JOHN HEILEMANN: This has been the story of the Trump era, right? Where people who have been either publicly or privately critical of Donald Trump, who said he was disqualified from being president for oner eason or the other, then turned around later and capitulated to him. So we've seen it for a long time. There's not anything really surprising about it.
But I would say that in the case of Nikki Haley, it's more, it's really more egregious, I think, than almost anybody. Because she -- even compared to Ron DeSantis. Ron Desantis said some critical things about Trump during the primary. But they were well within the bounds of what we have heard in the both parties, in nomination contests. People -- Kamala Harris criticized Joe Biden back in 2020.
But Nikki Haley was different . . . The question of what she was, at heart, was on the table. And I think there was always a school of thought which was, ultimately, Nikki Haley is all about Nikki Haley. She wants a future in this party. Eventually, she will endorse him, people would say. And others would say, no, I think she's really changed. She's found her voice. Well, we found out last night, which Nikki Haley, who Nikki Haley really is.
. . .NIKKI HALEY [from Feb. 2020 campaign event]: Of course, many of the same politicians who now publicly embrace Trump, privately dreadhim. They know what a disaster he's been. And will continue to be for our party. Donald Trump can't win a general election.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Wow.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Katty, it's almost like she's Carnac the Magician and can predict the future. Because she predicted her own future right there. After saying electing Donald Trump would be suicide for America. After saying he was unhinged. After saying he wasn't all there, he needed to take a cognitive test. That he was too old to be President of the United States. She said, you know, ome Republicans will say this that worked for him quietly. But then they'll go on to support him.
Nikki Haley, meet Nikki Haley.
