Donald Trump escalated his feud with the hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Monday, repeating a rumor straight off Page Six that Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski are romantically involved.
This is hardly Trump's first foray into tabloid-style rumor and innuendo. In May, he linked Ted Cruz's father to John F. Kennedy's assassin, based on a story in the National Enquirer, which he said "should be very respected." He previously tweeted a vague threat to "spill the beans" about the Texas senator's wife, Heidi, and last month tweeted a cryptic message in which he claimed to "know more about [Sen.] Cory [Booker (D-N.J.)] than he knows about himself." Leading theories are that the Republican presidential nominee was suggesting Booker is gay and referring to Heidi Cruz's battle against depression.
No need to guess what Trump was talking about this time.
It is also no surprise that Trump would engage in Page Six gossip (which has circulated elsewhere, too), given that his list of go-to news sources includes the National Enquirer, Infowars and World Net Daily.
Anyway, Trump did not stop his "Morning Joe" attack at a single tweet. Neither did Scarborough, a contributor to The Washington Post opinion section, who responded.
Neurotic and not very bright?
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) August 22, 2016
Look in the mirror. https://t.co/FPaqGW9JWv
http://twitter.com/JoeNBC/status/767696649309347841
The back-and-forth illustrates once again just how badly the relationship between Trump and "Morning Joe" has deteriorated over the course of the election. Six months ago, in the early stages of the Republican primary, Scarborough and Brzezinski were widely viewed as being too cozy with the business executive, who was a frequent guest on their show. The co-hosts were quick to take Trump's candidacy seriously — last year, Brzezinski bet colleague Mike Barnicle that Trump would win the Republican nomination — and the billionaire even thanked the duo for being "supporters" after winning the New Hampshire primary in February.
Scarborough and Brzezinski always maintained they were not supporters but merely believers in Trump's political prospects. When Scarborough said on the air in May that he could never vote for Trump, the dynamic changed dramatically.
"Rapidly fading?" Umm...we are enjoying our best ratings ever. Lots of luck, fella. https://t.co/DVsBHctzgd
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) May 6, 2016
Despite saying he "won't do or watch the show anymore," Trump did appear on "Morning Joe" in May. The interview was awkward, with neither side acknowledging any tension. Brzezinski's wrap-up summarized things perfectly: "Donald Trump, thank you so much for joining us — I think."
By June, the fight was raging again.
Ratings represent a common thread throughout Trump's broadsides, but he took things to a new, more personal level Monday by amplifying the dating rumor. "Morning Joe" will be worth watching this week to see if the hosts respond in kind. Recall that earlier this month, Scarborough shared a conversation he said he had with a "foreign policy expert" who claimed Trump asked multiple times during a briefing session why the United States can't use nuclear weapons. Scarborough later told the New York Times's Jim Rutenberg that he hadn't planned to mention the conversation on the air but did so on impulse because "that was something I thought Americans needed to know."
It appears both parties are now willing to talk publicly about things they have been keeping private.
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