‘Listen to Me!’ Morning Joe Gets Tense After Donny Deutsch Insists Trump ‘Co-Opted America’s Heartbeat’
Morning Joe hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough clashed with guest Donny Deutsch in a heated moment over his claim that President Donald Trump had “co-opted America’s heartbeat” with his January 6 pardons.
Soon after his inauguration ceremony, in a televised Oval Office event, Trump delivered on his campaign promise and pardoned approximately 1,500 Capitol riot defendants and prisoners, and commuted the sentences of 8 more.
The bout began soon after MSNBC Way To Early host Ali Vitali noted that “pardoning the January 6th insurrectionists” was “chief on that list” of priorities for Trump and it was done “with the stroke of a pen.” Vitali added that “for everyone in Washington and beyond, support him or not… this is how it is now.”
As Scarborough noted that the presidential election was close – “1.5 percent” – and that Republican majority in both congressional houses is small, Deutsch cut in to add: But I just want to add one thing to that, we can say that to ourselves, [but Trump] has co-opted America’s heartbeat.”
Visibly furious, Brzezinski interjected: “Well, if America’s heartbeat is to have hostage families standing behind him, that marketing visual is quite something.”
“I’m not saying you might not like that,” Deutsch replied. “Listen to me, listen to me, listen to me.”
“I’m talking about J6,” Brzezinski snapped back.
Raising his voice to have his point heard, Deutsch continued: “People will absorb it because he gives them what they want in other places. This is just… I want the Democrats to learn that you can even get away with things as ridiculous as that if you’re feeding people what they want to hear and what they need.”
“Yeah,” Brzezinski retorted.
Scarborough then added: “Well, he actually told them. Told them again. He told them what he was going to do.”
“He did,” his cost host noted.
“And he’s providing the bread and the circuses as they said in Roman days,” Scarborough continued. “That entertains them. But underneath that, there are are things that he’s doing breaking one norm after another.”
“You can’t ignore,” Brzezinski added.
Deutsch responded: “Nobody’s saying ignore it, I’m saying the opposite, actually.”
“…after promising that he was going to break every norm,” Scarborough finished before cutting to a break.
Watch above via MSNBC.
