MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough got slammed on social media on Tuesday afternoon after penning a Washington Post op-ed that concluded that President Trump was a greater threat to the country “than any foreign adversary,” including terror groups like al Qaeda.
The blowback directed at the former GOP congressman and staunch Trump critic comes as the country marks the 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when about 3,000 people were killed in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
“The question for voters this fall is whether their country will move beyond this troubled chapter in history or whether they will continue supporting a politician who has done more damage to the dream of America than any foreign adversary ever could,” Scarbrough concluded in his piece.
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The reaction on social media and particularly Twitter was swift, with some returning to previous criticism that Scarborough helped to elevate Trump’s candidacy during the 2016 campaign by offering regular interviews via phone that some critics deemed too friendly.
Scarborough responded by stating he’ll read the column again and “think about whether I could have said the same thing in a way less offensive to Trump supporters on September 11th,” but his comment did not calm the ire on Twitter.
As of early Tuesday afternoon, the tweet generated more than 1,000 responses but only 30 retweets.
“As a [New York City] firefighter I detest every word you wrote! You will never understand what it’s like to lose 343 of your brothers in one day. U should truly be ashamed you wrote this,” one person responded.
“[Your] article was an insult to all Americans not just Trump Supporters. You completely miss the point that on September 11 we put aside our differences to honor the dead,” wrote another.
Weekly Standard writer Jeryl Bier called Scarborough’s op-ed “provocative for being provocative” and “freaking stupid,” which prompted a response from the “Morning Joe” host.
“Jeryl, you’re a great example for all of us—especially me today. Many have been offended by a tweet I sent out earlier re: my @washingtonpost article. Even if they did not read the article, I should have shown more care on the tweet’s wording and the column’s conclusion,” Scarborough wrote in response.
Scarborough left the Republican party in 2017 in protest of Trump.
He and co-host Mika Brzezinski last had Trump on “Morning Joe” in May 2016 and have since traded Twitter blows with him and criticized him often on their morning program.