Joe Scarborough Rages Against ‘Tone Deaf’ White House Correspondents Association for Hosting Trump Speech

Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough blasted the White House Correspondents’ Association on Monday, calling the organization’s decision to host President Donald Trump at its annual dinner “tone deaf” after the president used the high-profile event to ridicule reporters and political rivals rather than address mounting concerns over the economy and foreign policy.

Scarborough contrasted the administration’s handling of the wars in Ukraine and Iran with rising grocery and fuel prices before turning his attention to Trump’s appearance at Friday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

“Friday night, at an event that should have never been held, the president tells a room of reporters not to believe, quote, fake news about how that war is going,” Scarborough said, adding: “Well, that fake news actually comes from calls inside the house, from the administration, from people who know it was a mistake to go in and there’s no good way to get out. So you be the judge of that.”

The host said that viewers could read about how ongoing conflicts abroad were linked to inflation and the rising cost of living in the media, but said Americans could see the difference themselves at the supermarket.

“So against this backdrop, how did the president spend that same Friday night?” Scarborough asked. “Not reassuring Americans on the war, not reassuring Americans on the cost of beef or on the cost of gas? No. He spent an hour on the physical appearance of the press corps in front of him.”

He then lambasted the president for joking about CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins, and remarking on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s weight during a staged exchange.

Rounding on the White House Press Association, he continued: “This is about as tone deaf, not only of a speech, it was tone deaf, actually, for the White House Correspondents Association to actually hold that speech. I hope they’ll reconsider that in the future while the president is going out subpoenaing members of The New York Times for doing their job.”

Scarborough concluded by accusing Republican lawmakers of failing to challenge Trump as Americans continue to struggle with the cost of living.

“And yet Republicans, you know, there will not be a Goldwater moment,” he said. “They do not have the courage to send somebody over and talk to the president and say, enough is enough, start governing, start governing not only overseas, but right here at home, where Americans can’t afford food, they can’t afford groceries, they can’t afford rent.”

Watch above via MS NOW.

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