Joe Scarborough Gets Pilloried for Bashing ‘Lock Him Up’ Chants at Trump, MSNBC Host Fires Back

Joe Scarborough pushed back at his online critics on Monday as he defended his position that people should not chant “lock him up” at President Donald Trump.

Trump was booed as he attended Game 5 of the World Series last night, and Morning Joe covered this while noting that the crowd also turned a Trump campaign rally staple against him by chanting “lock him up.” Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski lamented that this chant started with Trump encouraging people to say this toward Hillary Clinton, but the MSNBC hosts called it “sickening” for the Nationals audience to also do this in reverse.

“We are Americans and we do not do that,” Scarborough said. “We do not want the world hearing us chant ‘lock him up’ to this president, or to any president.”

Scarborough’s comments were dragged online by Trump critics who argued that the chants against the president were completely justified.

Um, no.

A President who *leads* a “lock her up” chant against his political enemies smacks of authoritarianism.

Americans who chant “lock him up” to a President who acts like a tyrant and believes he is above the law is calling for accountability. https://t.co/pJVEdNYX0J

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) October 28, 2019

All over the world, hundreds of thousands of people are in the streets.
But a chant at baseball game is something We do not do.
Take a knee, folks. https://t.co/j4zrBJ3vVr

— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) October 28, 2019

Yes, we do! The world needs to know Americans will fight fascism and Putin’s attack on our democracy tooth and nail. Trump is a criminal. Americans who feel they don’t have a voice as Trump dismantles our Constitution, found a voice at the ball park. Don’t tell them to be quiet https://t.co/SVt1alLGlL

— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) October 28, 2019

So Presidents are allowed to lead “lock her/them/him up” chants—just not endure them?

Nope.

Welcome to (non-FoxNews) America.

Go fact yourselves. https://t.co/cVduUk6HJH

— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) October 28, 2019

When “civility” and maintaining the status quo matters more than what’s right and wrong, to Certain Kinds of Folk.

He’s committed crimes. There’s a process to try him for those crimes — which he is sabotaging.

Lock.
Him.
Up. https://t.co/JlCODfmcIm

— N. K. Jemisin (@nkjemisin) October 28, 2019

This disapproval apparently drew Scarborough’s attention, because he released a Twitter thread to duke it out with his critics, call them “ignorant and illiberal,” and say they’re “hypocritical clowns.”

If you think that democracy is strengthened by calling for the arrest of political opponents, you’re as ignorant and illiberal as Trump himself. Delete your account and read some civics.
Stop embarrassing yourself.

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) October 28, 2019

However, Scarborough also lambasted Republicans by saying “you reap what you sow” for tolerating Trump and his supporters demanding the arrest of political foes.

Republicans, look at the response to a very traditional view that in America, we do not call for the arrest of political opponents. And then understand that you reap what you sow.

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) October 28, 2019

A republic if you can keep it.
Seacrest Out.

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) October 28, 2019

Scarborough’s argument doesn’t seem to be going very well, however, since his tweets have been pummeled by those pointing out the flaws in his reasoning.

Joe, I’ve defended you here and elsewhere but you’re very wrong on this. Trump = Tyrannical president with a 13,000+ lies and an unprecedented track record of despotism. Hillary = None of those things. Last night was a peaceful, spontaneous, and necessary response to a tyrant. https://t.co/cZVAzv8YQy

— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) October 28, 2019

One is the president ordering his political opponents locked up. The other is people talking back to power. That distinction is everything https://t.co/gCSrF3hE2n

— hirschorn (@hirschorn) October 28, 2019

Ok but what about calling for the arrest of criminals? https://t.co/Rm9naxNVEF

— Katy Stoll (@katystoll) October 28, 2019

This was one of the rare moments where a non-pre-selected audience could voice its honest feelings toward Trump directly. A parallel to Trump rallies would be if people at Warren or Bernie rallies started chanting “Lock him up” with speaker approval.That’s not what happened here. https://t.co/TafKF7OHRP

— Aaron Astor (@AstorAaron) October 28, 2019

ah yes an apolitical baseball game where a crowd spontaneously says whatever they want is the same as crowds chanting “lock her up” at a political rally where the rabid supporters of one candidate are being led by campaign surrogates https://t.co/BFKrbFPTHQ

— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) October 28, 2019

UPDATE – 12:20 P.M. ET: Brzezinski has posted her own message to defend her co-host and husband.

View this post on Instagram

It’s one of those days when I feel the need to say how proud I am to be sharing this show (and life)with this man!! Joe and I both feel strongly that our democracy is being challenged and even squandered every day by weak Republicans who cannot put country over party. It’s why Joe left the party. He is still a conservative. He is still a constitutionalist and he is still a man who deeply loves this country. He fears the rise of illiberalism, wherever it comes from. And right now, that is Donald Trump. Joe and I agree with @michelleobama when they go low, we must strive to go high. Remember @repcummings Cumming’s famous words, “we are better than this”! #Morningjoe

A post shared by Mika Brzezinski (@mikabrzezinski) on Oct 28, 2019 at 9:16am PDT