MSNBC's Morning Joe brutally mocks Jeff Sessions for launching Senate run by sucking up to president who called him 'dumb'

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough mocked former Attorney General Jeff Sessions for sucking up to President Donald Trump in a video announcement of his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

The Alabama Republican is seeking his old seat, which he gave up to serve in the Trump administration, and the "Morning Joe" host ridiculed his fawning reassurance to the president that he'll serve his agenda -- despite the abuse he has heaped on Sessions.

"The first task on his agenda appeared to be making amends with Donald Trump," Scarborough said. "That's right, the guy who unmercifully mocked him, called him stupid, made fun of him being from Alabama. Well, now President Trump can't vote, of course, in Alabama, but Sessions announced his run for his former Senate seat with a campaign ad that clearly targeted an audience of one."

Scarborough said Sessions had shamed himself almost as badly as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who backs Trump despite the president's rude insults against the senator's wife and family.

"If somebody attacked my wife, said she was ugly, a political opponent, I would spend the rest of my life just going after them and making sure that they paid for it," Scarborough said. "Whereas Ted Cruz cannot hug Donald Trump enough, and if I had been attacked like Donald Trump attacked Jeff Sessions, oh, man, it would be ugly. I think most people would respond this way."

"But you look at Jeff Sessions, like Ted Cruz and these other Republicans, and get insulted and trashed and their manhood challenged by Donald Trump and they just -- they remain quislings," he added. "I feel like asking the question, who are these men? Who are these men some who would humiliate themselves in front of the president and the country like that?"

Democratic strategist Guy Cecil compared Sessions' video announcement to a "hostage tape," and former George W. Bush aide Elise Jordan said she was amazed by the former senator's toadying.

"It just really blows my mind how so many men, and primarily men, because, well, let's face the fact, most national elected Republicans these days are men," she said, "but they are just willing to bow at the altar of Trump."

"They just take it, they just roll over," Jordan added, "and I don't want to say roll over like dogs, because I like dogs -- but they just roll over."

Scarborough agreed, and wondered what message that sent to voters.

"People like tough leaders," he said. "I mean, that's at least what I saw. People like to have representatives that aren't going to put up with anything, that are going to go to Washington, D.C. and are going to be tough and fight for them, not fight for whoever the president is or fight for whoever the speaker of the House is, but fight for their constituents. This is a personality cult."