MSNBC's Joe Scarborough condemned a Fox News audience that cheered on Donald Trump's threats to act like a dictator on "Day One" of a second presidency.
The twice-impeached former president appeared Tuesday night in a town hall broadcast on the network, where host Sean Hannity asked him leading questions to help him walk back remarks he's made during campaign rallies and push back against reports that his second administration would be authoritarian – but instead Trump said he would only do that on his first day in office.
"Think about it, if any other politician in American history were asked a question, are you going to be a dictator, no – Donald Trump never answered it," Scarborough said. "He never answered it, and when he said – I just want – there's a sickness, there is a sickness among unfortunately some of our fellow Americans regarding authoritarianism and totalitarianism. They want it, because when he promised that he would be a dictator on Day One, he got applause."
Hannity asked the ex-president to clarify, and Trump said he would "close the border" and "drill, drill, drill," but he then suggested that he would act as a dictator on Day One.
"By the way, what a stupid thing to say – 'drill, drill, drill,'" Scarborough said. "What a stupid thing to say. You can tell he doesn't read the newspapers, and the people applauding that don't even read the newspapers. U.S. oil production – record highs. We are drilling more and producing more oil, whether you like it or not. We are drilling more oil now than the Saudis, getting more oil out of the ground than the Saudis. Getting more oil out of the ground than Russia. What are you going to drill, your teeth? We're already doing it, like -- but that just shows how stupid he is, and I've got to say, people who applaud 'drill, drill, drill,' how stupid they are because that's what we're doing right now."
"This is a personality cult," Scarborough added. "It's very bad for America and, make no mistake about it, a large chunk of those people in that audience cheering when Donald Trump said I'll be a dictator on Day One – well, they want that."
Watch the video below or at this link.
MSNBC 12 06 2023 06 32 18youtu.be
