This morning, the most talked-about segment coming out from the Morning Joe crew was how they responded to a tweet by Donald Trump, live!
Wow, I hear @Morning_Joe has gone really hostile ever since I said I won't do or watch the show anymore.They misrepresent my positions!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2016
But what caught my eye was Mark Halperin's worry that Trump, was killing his chances, not with his nativist, authoritarian, misogynist and xenophobic ideas, but because he was being mean to the press.
Earlier in the segment, Halperin praised Trump by saying, "Trump was genius, understanding the Republican electorate, yeah, genius." he continued, "Trump is banking on the fact that the country wants change and not more of the same."
After a commercial break, Mika and Scarborough then discussed Trump's tweet about the show and made fun of him for saying he stopped watching the show.
Scarborough mockingly said, "He watches, Hi Donald. It's very funny when you say you don't watch the show."
But then Halperin got very serious and interjected a plea to his favorite candidate.
"I’ll tell you this. The only way a Republican can win for president - I believe, is if the press favors them in coverage. And he had a chance to have better press coverage than Hillary Clinton. He’s missing that chance. He’s alienating a lot of people."
Notice how he tipped off that the MSM really wants to hate on HRC, but Trump is making it hard for them to do it.
Mika followed up, "I don't think we're that important..." Mike Barnicle cut in and said, "I think you can make a strong case for the fact that Donald Trump has marginalized the media like no other candidate.."
Halperin says, "He has, but I think you still need the general drift of things to be in your favor. You just do. The press is really powerful."
Forget the fact that Trump is attacking the most Trump-friendly talk show on MSNBC now. But he's made it his mission to attack the entire media establishment at his rallies by calling reporters "the most disgusting and despicable people alive."
I'm not the only one who noticed that trend.
Donald Trump’s penchant for abusing reporters is well known. He disparages them as“dishonest,” “troublemakers,” and “scum,” and sometimes he calls them out by name. At his rallies, he pens in the press like cattle. Any journalist who dares to wander beyond the metal barricades is tossed out.
This does make it harder for the media to do their jobs, but even though Trump calls out the media all the time, it's not their fault that he's so disliked and his polices are loathed, Mark. That's his doing. And the fact that Morning Joe is happy to take Trump's phone call on-demand any day of the week means he has the "media" exactly where he wants you, begging like the lap-dogs and ratings-addicts that you are.
I wonder if Trump will heed Halperin's advice?
