MSNBC’s Morning Joe Launches Angry Tirade Against Critics Saying He ‘Fears’ Donald Trump

Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough fully addressed criticism that he fears the incoming Trump administration as fallout continues since the MSNBC morning show host’s post-election visit to Mar-a-Lago.

His 20-minute tirade began Thursday morning in response to an article by David Frum in The Atlantic, in which Frum accused liberal network hosts of indulging in fear of President-elect Trump with the headline “The Sound of Fear on Air.”

“Just because some people have said we’re scared, let me tell you something. You can talk to anyone who has worked in the front office of NBC or MSNBC over the last 22 years and they will tell you I am not afraid. Scarborough said defiantly.

Frum wrote his article on Wednesday about how Mika Brzezinski had apologized on air after a segment with him.

During the segment, Frum made the comment “if you’re too drunk for Fox News, you’re very, very drunk indeed” while talking about the allegations against Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth.

Scarborough fired back Thursday that they were not apologizing, saying the comment about Fox was “too light-hearted” at this time.

“That wasn’t the sound of fear, that was the sound of civility,” Scarborough said.

He argued that Brzezinski, who was sitting next to him, had not apologized because she agreed, “No, I didn’t.”

The accusation of fear appeared to have struck a nerve as the television host vehemently defended their actions since Trump won the election.

“If you talk to anyone who served in Congress with me, they will tell you that you are not afraid of leadership. Now: Don’t be afraid,” Scarborough added.

He said Morning Joe tried to get Frum back on the show to discuss his allegations, claiming there was no paper to print the crack about Fox. He also argued that they did not name Frum after his segment in their statement.

“I’m telling you, the sound of fear, the apology, none of it is true,” he said. “But guess what, this has been going on for several weeks now.”

Scarborough continued to defend his and Brzezinski’s visit to Florida to meet Trump after the election, saying people wrote articles about it that were “simply false.”

He decried criticism of their background conversation with the president-elect, arguing that other media organizations have also spoken to him.

“If they have the opportunity to have background conversations with the incoming president and the president-elect, they would,” he continued.

He called the critical articles written about it ‘outrageously stupid, immature” and said they “lied about us over and over again.”

Scarborough nearly shouted when he said reporters are trying to talk to the president and do background conversations.

“And besides, guess what? That’s what I’ve been doing for years,” he told viewers.

He pointed out that he also speaks to Middle Eastern leaders who are not “good people” to get information and “give it to you.”

Scarborough said the only difference between what they did with their visit to Mar-a-Lago and other media organizations was that they were transparent about it.

“We actually told you,” he declared.

Scarborough claimed of the president-elect that he could do two things at once: “You can say he had fascist rhetoric and still go in and talk to him.”

‘Do you know why I do that? To get the man’s attention,” he continued.

Ten minutes after going on air, Scarborough was all shouting as he defended his actions and compared himself to “great reporters from the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times – just the way they do .’

He said that because Trump spoke like a fascist during the campaign, “it’s even more important that we go there.”

During the 2024 election, Morning Joe hosts repeatedly labeled Trump a fascist, racist and sexist and argued that he should not be president. Scarborough even said that at one point Trump “acted completely against Hitler.”

But on November 18, they revealed on their show that they met Trump in Florida over the weekend.

Brzezinski said at the time that they decided to reach out to Trump for “the opportunity to speak with the president-elect himself” because their viewers have expressed fear following Trump’s election.

But their move was harshly criticized, with them defending the move ever since.

“People who are anxious and worried, let me tell you something, we shouldn’t be afraid,” Scarborough declared during his 20-minute rant on Thursday.

“We should be deeply, deeply concerned about constitutional norms,” he added.

Scarborough said they should do everything they can to encourage Republican senators to “hold the line against nominees who would destroy the Pentagon, who would destroy the intelligence community.”

He argued that they should “keep fighting” and “have no fear, show no fear.”

But he argued that if we reach a state in media culture where civility is confused with fear, “then we’re in trouble.”

Scarborough claimed he was fed up with the ‘nonsense’ and wished they could just ‘get on with it’.

Brzezinski reiterated that their meeting with Trump was “not kissing the ring,” but a serious meeting and that they were doing their job.