Joe Scarborough Mocks Quip Nikki Haley Uses to Avoid Attacking Trump: ‘What Does That Even Mean?’

Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough brutally mocked former South Carolina Governor and Trump UN Ambassador Nikki Haley over the quip she uses to avoid attacking former President Donald Trump.

Haley announced her candidacy for president this week with a bio-heavy campaign video on Tuesday and a rally in Charleston, South Carolina two weeks ago, and has since used a handy metaphor to ward off questions about her past criticism of Trump.

On Friday morning’s edition of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Scarborough and his crew discussed the reluctance of many candidates and potential candidates to take on Trump directly, and Scarborough zeroed in on Haley’s mantra “I don’t kick sideways”:

SAM STEIN: Nikki Haley is a great example of this, someone who is clearly trying to contrast herself with Trump, but not doing so in name. She does it by saying, oh, we need to have mental acuity tests for politicians over 75. Well, yeah, that would be Trump. We need generational change. We need to get rid of the, you know, perma politician. You know, those are all subtle digs at Trump. But remember, Nikki Haley had said Trump disqualified himself after January 6. One thing Nikki Haley has not brought up in her early time on the trail is January 6. And so none of these candidates seem to want to go after Trump for his weaknesses. They’re just sort of hoping that he can go away or that they can whisk him away.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: It’s like they’re pretending he doesn’t exist.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, and it doesn’t work. Here’s Nikki Haley trying to do it.

NIKKI HALEY (VIDEO MONTAGE): I don’t kick sideways. I’m kicking forward / I don’t kick sideways, I kick forward / I kick forward. I talk about Joe Biden. I’m not worried about Trump.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: I just I don’t even know. I don’t know. I don’t know what that means?

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: What does that mean? You’ve got a primary to win.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: How do you kick sideways, what do you do you (gesticulates comically) you trip.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Well you can kick sideways.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: I don’t know. Kick si– I don’t get it.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: And I think in a primary, you need to.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: What I do get is.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: To win.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Kick sideways? I don’t– (makes popping noise)

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: I mean, is there any way to speak to Donald Trump’s base?

Watch above via MSNBC’s Morning Joe.