'Embarrassing!' Viewers cringe as Morning Joe goes 'full blowhard mode' against guest
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough clashed with a panelist over President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in American cities — and many viewers were repulsed by the exchange.
The "Morning Joe" host has been using his platform to encourage Democratic governors and mayors to partner with the president to fight crime in their cities using federal forces, but Princeton professor Eddie Glaude Jr. argued that Scarborough's premise was faulty because Trump was motivated by political bad faith.
"Donald Trump doesn't give a damn about crime," Glaude said. "In fact, he's repeating something that's at the heart of the drive around crime, that it's not really about protecting those communities. It's about protecting certain communities from those communities, and it generates a certain orientation of policing, and I want us to get at that as we call for a surge of cops. Is that cool?"
Scarborough laughed and asked whether he'd been watching the show in recent days, because he said that's the same argument he's been making on air, and he rolled on through Glaude's argument that adding more police officers to the streets in Black communities can often lead to bad outcomes.
"That's what we've been saying for the past three weeks, and that's what we've been saying repeatedly, that, as [DC Mayor] Muriel Bowser said, Washington needs more police officers," Scarborough said. "Washington's getting more police officers, they're getting paid better. They're getting good training, they're going to be part of the community, and that's what we need everywhere.
"You talk about moral panic, though, and I ask you, maybe you should go back and look at the Washington Post poll that shows 91 percent of Washington residents back in May said crime was a serious problem, and the people apparently most victimized by that crime, Black women. So I am not comfortable – perhaps you are comfortable – I am not comfortable in accusing Black women in Washington, D.C. of moral panic."
"There is a real problem in Washington, D.C., according what, not according to rich white people, because, again, the Washington Post poll showed that rich white people are like, 'Oh, we're doing fine. It was people of color,'" Scarborough continued. "It was specifically Black women who were the most concerned. We've seen that time and again. We saw it during the 'defund the police' protests, as I said before.
"So when you say moral panic, maybe if you're you're talking about the administration trying to get white people to be swept into a moral panic. We all certainly agree with certain segments of the president's base on that, but in this case, it does sound, when you start talking about moral panic and we don't need more police officers, it does sound, if you don't mind me saying, like, you may be being a bit condescending to the 91 percent of the people in Washington, D.C., who told pollsters they don't feel safe, that crime and violence is a serious problem."
Social media users cringed watching the lengthy televised debate.
'[Eddie Glaude Jr.] gives a wise argument against more cops on streets as panacea -- a reminder of stop and frisk and the carceral state. Of course, Joe ignores that, launching into a defense of troops on the street cuz polls' vibes, sneering 'academic' and, as always, interrupting," argued media critic Jeff Jarvis.
"'I don't want a moral panic around crime to devastate communities again,' says [Glaude]," Jarvis added. "Scarborough says 'that's what we've been saying for the past three weeks.' No, it is not. It is Joe who's not listening."
"Joe Scarborough lecturing Eddie Glaude on the Black experience in DC is jaw-droppingly embarrassing for this middle-aged Caucasian," posted Bluesky user Kimmyfest61.
"Once again, I’m so disappointed in the conversation on Morning Joe about policing," said law professor Anthony Michael Kreis. "There’s just no nuance and no policing experts to pushback against the 'more police = always good' narrative. It’s just recycled 1990s policy rot. Today felt like [Eddie Glaude Jr.] was the only voice of reason."
"Joe Scarborough is in full blowhard mode against Eddie Glaude this morning," agreed Bluesky user Neal Tasch.
"What on earth just happened in that segment with Eddie Glaude, Jr.?" asked Bluesky user Daily Cuppa. "Am I the only one that felt extremely comfortable at Joe’s unrelenting tone?"
"Yes! Did you hear him downing Eddie," agreed her follower Bootsy. "Asking him if he was living the same life experience as other black folks? So now it's a class thing too. Joe Scarborough just needs to go to Fox."
"This conversation on Morning Joe with Eddie Glaude now is a prime example of how when a Black person makes a point that eviserates the irrational and racist ideologies of white men, they continue to move the goal post away from the original topic and say, 'see that's not what we're talking about,'" said writer Aisha K. Staggers.
"Joe was about to explain the Black experience to a Black man from Mississippi and then tried to go there by saying because Eddie is a professor from Princeton he couldn't possibly know what 'regular Blacks' go through," Staggers added.
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