Jon Stewart, never one to pull punches, delivered a scathing critique of MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough over their recent meeting with President-elect Donald Trump.
The Daily Show host called out the apparent contradiction between their past comparisons of Trump to authoritarian figures and their decision to meet him at Mar-a-Lago. Stewart’s comedic takedown resonated across the media landscape, highlighting tensions among Trump’s critics about how to engage with him.
Brzezinski and Scarborough, co-hosts of Morning Joe, revealed that they met with Trump last week to “restart communications” and discuss key policy issues, including abortion, immigration, and his rhetoric targeting political opponents.
On Monday’s show, they painted Trump as affable and willing to collaborate with Democrats on major challenges. This tone shift came after years of the pair portraying Trump as a dangerous figure—a disconnect Stewart didn’t let slide.
Mocking Brzezinski’s rhetorical question, “Why wouldn’t we” meet Trump, Stewart deadpanned, “Uh, because you said he was Hitler.” He then lampooned Scarborough’s recounting of the meeting, mimicking a scenario where tough talk devolved into fawning over snacks. Stewart’s biting humor wasn’t just aimed at the co-hosts but also at what he sees as a broader failure to comprehend the stakes of Trump’s rise to power.
Stewart’s critique extended beyond MSNBC. In an impassioned rant, he blasted the Democratic Party for its lackluster response to Trump, likening their efforts to a clumsy mishap in the nurse’s office.
“The Republicans are playing chess,” he quipped, “and the Democrats are in the nurse’s office because they glued their balls to their thigh.” The remark underscored his frustration with what he views as Democrats’ failure to mount an effective resistance.
The backlash against Brzezinski and Scarborough wasn’t limited to Stewart. Fellow liberals expressed outrage over what they saw as an attempt to “normalize” Trump. Comedian Rosie O’Donnell labeled their actions “despicable,” vowing to boycott Morning Joe. Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann accused them of being “Trump collaborators,” while current MSNBC host Katie Phang tweeted bluntly, “Normalizing Trump is a bad idea. Period.”
The controversy touches on a broader dilemma for Trump’s critics: how to oppose his policies and rhetoric while maintaining lines of communication. For Stewart and others, the meeting at Mar-a-Lago symbolized capitulation rather than accountability, sparking fierce debate over the balance between engagement and resistance.
