Joe Scarborough has recently emerged as one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest and most vocal critics. Much has been made of how Joe came to hold this distinction, the general consensus being that Joe is atoning for his sins after helping Trump pull off the greatest upset in American political history. But what’s more interesting is how closely Joe’s criticisms of Trump mirror his own flaws. Ultimately, the things that unite these two is far greater than that which divides them.
Let’s start with an easy one: their treatment of women. Trump’s history as a misogynistic, chauvinist pig is well documented. But what about Joe? Anyone who’s watched more than fifteen seconds of Morning Joe has cringed at the sight of Scarborough repeatedly talking over and cutting off his cohost (and now wife) Mika Brezinski. Trump and Scarborough have also each been previously married twice, and each has garnered their fair share of allegations of impropriety along the way.
Significantly more troubling is the fact the both men have a history of downplaying the severity of sexual assault. When adult film star Jessica Drake accused Trump of assault, in 2016, the then-candidate sarcastically remarked, “Oh, I'm sure she's never been grabbed before.” If that sounds familiar, it’s because Joe in 2014 urged his cohorts in the media to sweep allegations of assault under the rug. Yes, you read that correctly: in a society where sexual assault is grossly underreported, Joe would like the media to further suppress the collective voice of victims. Ms. Drake at one point called Trump a “sexual assault apologist”; little did she know that that was an apt label for Scarborough as well.
So both are horrible to women – so what? you ask, lots of men are. Let’s move on to their political affiliations then, by which I mean their aversion to them. Much was made during the 2016 presidential campaign of Trump’s affinity for switching political parties – at least five different times – and for giving money to Republicans and Democrats alike. But Joe is no stranger to this game of ideological vacillation.
Joe loves to project the image of a reasonable centrist; a social liberal and fiscal conservative who’s views inoffensively average out in the end. (“Joe may lean a little to the right,” you tell yourself, “but he’s a pragmatist at heart.”) To further bolster his liberal bona fides, Joe would like you to know that he owns a $3 million New Canaan mansion, receives his paychecks from the farthest-left cable network out there, and is oh-so-trendy.
In reality, it’s all a smokeshow to distract from the fact that, while in the House, Joe hailed from the ultra-conservative, 80-percent-white First Congressional District in Florida. It was, and still remains, one of the most right-leaning districts in the nation. For all of Joe’s progressive talk, it’s important to note that Joe was an obstructionist above all else, blindly driven by a Tea Party-esque ideology. At the time, Joe fell right in line with his counterparts, accepting piles of money from the NRA (his third-biggest campaign contributor throughout his political career), even introducing legislation that would have effectively crippled the United Nations. But you don’t hear Trump or Joe talking about their political pasts; rather, like a witness in protective custody, they actively work to bury the truth and preserve their new identities.
Trump and Scarborough are politicians, so some degree of vanity and self-importance is to be expected (and endured). That said, these two take it to new, unprecedented extremes. Trump is a narcissist to the core, who throughout his career (which can charitably be described as a sustained mismanagement of the fortune bequeathed upon him by his father) has surrounded himself with flunkies who serve only to fulfill his need for approbation. Having run through the short list of individuals willing to fulfill these duties, Trump has since enlisted his children to step in.
That said, if you remove the pronouns from the previous paragraph, a typical Washingtonian (Joe’s key demographic) could be forgiven for thinking that they’re reading a description of Morning Joe. That’s because Scarborough’s show operates under the same rules as Trump’s boardroom: the man with the obnoxious hair and lack of intellect is always right. Just watch a clip of The Apprentice and then flip over to Morning Joe; the parallels are uncanny. And whereas Trump demands a loyalty oath from cabinet members, Joe requires an on-air blood oath from his guests.
There’s also something eerily similar in the way these two (wannabe) alpha males perceive themselves. They enjoy using bizarre (and apocryphal) parables to illustrate points, which typically (a) portray them doing something great, and (b) are used to ultimately demonstrate their greatness. Joe and Trump also have what can only be described as delusions of grandeur. Yes, Trump has managed to ascend to the presidency, but he also thinks of himself as successful in every endeavor, a claim that is empirically false (look no further than this excellent Politico piece for proof of Trump’s lack of business acumen and general buffoonery).
On this front, Joe is no better. He seems to genuinely believe that he has a future as a musician, despite possessing virtually no talent. That’s not hyperbole – watch this painful “tribute” to 9-11 victims, created and performed by Joe himself, for proof. He also seems to think his show is the greatest thing since sliced bread; in 2016 was quoted as saying, “All the senators watch Morning Joe, all the congressmen watch Morning Joe, at the White House watches Morning Joe.” Furthermore, Scarborough regularly criticizes Trump for the president’s “I alone can fix it” mantra, yet Joe is a firm that “if only” Congress listened to the nuggets of wisdom he dispenses, then the world would be a better place.
The dynamic duo also thinks it’s slick enough to pull the wool over the public’s eyes on a regular basis. We know Trump is a serial liar, fibbing about everything from the size of his inauguration crowds to his position on the Iraq war. Worse yet, when confronted with the facts, Trump either tells another lie to cover himself, or deploys one of his henchmen (or henchwomen) to back him up. Joe is equally adept at spewing bullshit (to be polite, let’s charge him with “conscious perfidy”), and the live nature of his show lends itself to this style. But even when he’s clearly in the wrong, Joe refuses to own up to his mistakes. Sound like anyone else?
If you’re still not convinced, here are a few more similarities to consider. Both have had run-ins with the law regarding donations – Trump with his charitable foundation, and Joe with political campaigns. Both pick fights with prominent figures in a desperate attempt to stay relevant. We’ve seen it time and time again with Trump and Rosie, and last year Joe deployed the tactic when he targeted Senator Marco Rubio. Both speak slowly and in simple phrases to convey their point, not realizing the condescending nature of their prose. And both use their platforms to constantly promote their products and enrich themselves (Trump shepherds foreign dignitaries to his DC hotel and boasts about his Charlottesville vineyard, while Joe peddles his low-rent band, the show’s insignificant milestone, and Mika’s “Know Your Worth” company). They also both constantly pander to their respective bases; are obsessed with polls; believe in conspiracy theories (Trump with “birtherism” and Joe with autism); and spend an inordinate amount of time on Twitter.
What’s it say about a person whose criticism of others is actually a reflection of their own personality and actions? Is it a result of hubris? A lack of self-awareness? Or some deeper self-loathing? While I don’t purport to understand the inner workings of the Scarborough mind, the similarities between the two are impossible to ignore.
The next time Joe decides to criticize Donald Trump – justified or not – he should take a second to look in the mirror. Especially since we all know that’s his favorite activity.