Joe Scarborough Shreds Senate GOP After ‘Forfeiting Power’ on Tariffs: ‘They Own This!’

Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough shredded Senate Republicans Thursday for “forfeiting all their power on tariffs to the White House” and warned his former party that “they own” any economic and subsequent political fallout.

The remarks come just one day after the Senate deadlocked 49-49 on a bipartisan measure to end the national emergency President Donald Trump invoked to impose sweeping tariffs – falling just short of the support needed to pass.

Only three Republicans—Senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski — broke ranks to join Democrats, signaling discomfort with Trump’s aggressive trade maneuvers but underscoring the party’s broader reluctance to confront him. Paul, a co-sponsor of the resolution, noted that many Republicans privately object to the tariffs but are unwilling to publicly challenge the president, according to The New York Times.

With mounting concerns over the economic fallout – including a slowing economy and Commerce Department warnings – Scarborough slammed how party discipline and strategic silence would come at a price right from the open on MSNBC’s Morning Joe:

You know. It’s what we talked about throughout the campaign. You know. People were talking about, we were talking about, democracy. But I also talked about American capitalism. I said CEOs, business owners, small business people, they need certainty. And you don’t want a leader who’s erratic. And of course, that’s now what the business community—and many of whom supported the president and the Republicans—are complaining about. And it’s the back and forth, and back and forth.

There were also repeated warnings, repeated warnings, time and time again. Repeated warnings about what would happen if Republicans and the White House went through door one. And they chose that door. They chose tariffs. Extreme tariffs.

And, you know, if I’m a Democrat running, I’m not blaming this all on Donald Trump. As Steve Rattner said, Republicans in the Senate had a chance yesterday to say, ‘Okay, there’s not an emergency’ – because there’s not an emergency. In fact, our economy was stronger than it’s ever been in December. We can roll the tape if anybody would like us to – talking about just how strong it was in December and how Republicans needed to protect that economy.

And only three Republican senators yesterday voted to end the so-called emergency that had them forfeiting all of their power on tariffs to the White House.

So, you know, they can’t go on the campaign trail and point their finger at Donald Trump. I mean, those Republicans, they own this. Those Republican senators, they own it. Republican House members, they own it. They’ve given up their power. They had a chance to take back their constitutionally mandated power yesterday. And all but three said, not only no — ‘Hell no! We want to wrap our arms around this economy, around this possible recession, and take full credit for it.’ And so that’s what those Republican senators are doing right now!

Watch above via MSNBC.