In a discussion about the seeming inevitability of a war with North Korea, Joe Scarborough raised a different point: That Trump is so "contemptuous" of the Constitution, the nation needs to be on guard about what happens next.
"Since he is so contemptuous of the Constitution, if a war does begin, we have to be aware of what steps he takes domestically if he does start that war," he warned.
A discussion with Richard Haas and Steve Rattner first focused on the push toward war.
"Richard, look, I can't disagree with you, obviously, that the threat of war is real," Rattner said.
"It seems to me that war there is -- it's just unimaginable. 250,000 Americans in South Korea, 20 million people in Seoul, 60 kilometers or something like that from the DMZ. It can't possibly go well. It can't possibly end well. It has to be one of the -- any one of those scenarios has to make Vietnam look like a ...what would happen in the Korean peninsula if we did something like that."
"It would be horrific. It's not unimaginable," Haas said.
"I can see it happening out of design, which was what was hinted at the other day, or by accident. We've got B-1 bombers in the area, ships in the area. North Korea continues to launch missiles. Any of those scenarios could lead to action or reaction. No one can sit here around the table and say that Donald Trump or Kim Jong-un, given what they've said, could step back from the situation.
"I believe you have to look at the players and you have to figure out what they're going to do," Scarborough said.
"I believe if you step back and take a look from a distance at Donald Trump, this is a guy who has already told himself and every general around him, 'I will not be the person that allows North Korea to develop technology, to send a nuclear weapon to the West Coast,' " Scarborough said.
"And I think unlike other presidents, he is not limited by the fears that limited JFK or even Ronald Reagan. By the way, when I say fears, don't flinch. I mean, you have reason to be scared of a war that could wipe out 500,000 people."
"No, I just think he wants to use nukes. That's what I think he feels. I totally disagree," Mika Brzezinski said. "You heard him over the past year. He's excited about the concept."
"I said he is not chained by the same fears that chained JFK and Reagan, a fear of nuclear weapons, a fear of war," Scarborough retorted.
"And, unfortunately, I think we have to be on guard after that. Since he is so contemptuous of the Constitution, that if a war does begin, we have to be very careful about what steps he takes domestically if he does start that war."
Yes, we do. What a way to start the week.
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