MSNBC's Joe Scarborough laughed out loud after watching President Donald Trump claim ownership of a looming government shutdown over his proposed border wall.
The president met Tuesday in the Oval Office with incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schmumer (D-NY), who led Trump into insisting he would be "proud" of shutting down the government over his legislative priority.
"The expression taking candy from a baby comes to mind," Scarborough said, laughing. "It was really -- it was all too easy, wasn't it? Donald Trump even walked into Schumer's line where the president was bragging about winning North Dakota and bragging about winning Indiana."
The "Morning Joe" host said the political spectacle was "terrible" for Trump and his Republican allies.
"This is the first time in Donald Trump's life that he's had people talking back to him, that people had political skills and knew how to trap him," Scarborough said. "You can go back to the debates and he would run over people like Marco Rubio, he would run over Rand Paul, the other 16 people who were completely hapless in responding to this."
Co-host Mika Brzezinski said Pelosi and Schumer had exposed Trump as a "buffoon."
"At his worst, Donald Trump has been a bully and a clown his entire life, but yesterday it was his worst traits on display for all the world to see, live from the Oval Office," she said. "The president was embarrassing and undignified in his fight with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. Some of his fans may have liked it, but most Americans do not."
"This is the type of wretched behavior that led to the Democratic landslide next month," Brzezinski added. "There is no upside for Trump or his minions after that."
