Joe Scarborough Has Instant Response as Trump Unleashes Attack During Broadcast: ‘Thank You for Chiming In, Mr. President’

Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough fired back with sarcasm and laughter after President Donald Trump launched into a lengthy Truth Social broadside against him and his co-hosts while the program was live on Wednesday.

The exchange unfolded shortly after the MS NOW panel discussed fresh reporting from The New York Times tied to Jeffrey Epstein and excerpts from journalist Maggie Haberman’s forthcoming book.

During the broadcast, however, Trump posted a screed targeting Scarborough and the wider Morning Joe team. As the social media attack dropped, Scarborough interrupted the conversation: “Did this just happen? Did Donald just write us?”

Reading portions of Trump’s message aloud, Scarborough mocked the president’s criticism. Trump had described Morning Joe as an “ever shrinking low-rated show” and accused its host of suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome.”

Scarborough responded by directly addressing Trump’s TDS charge.

“No, I don’t really have that,” he said. “I tell people that we actually talk on the phone, and sometimes I go talk to you in the White House, and we disagree on things, but nothing deranged here, sir. Unless you’re deranged, if there’s any derangement, it would have to be on your side of the relationship, because I’m not deranged, not about you. I just state the facts, and maybe that makes you deranged.”

“‘Often referred to as TDS has made him a laughingstock among those who know what’s going on in the wonderful world of television,’” Scarborough read aloud, before replying: “Yeah, that’s that’s, that’s, that’s really hurts, that hurts, it’s, it hurts me that I’m being laughed at. Oh, what am I going to do? I don’t think I’m the one who’s being laughed at, sir.”

When Trump referenced co-host Willie Geist in a confusing quip – that he “wants to be his father” – Scarborough paused to ask: “Willie, do you want to be my father?”

The crew then attempted to figure out what had triggered the president’s post.

“I guess, was it Iran? I don’t know,” Scarborough said.

“Was it [Graham] Platner?” co-host Mika Brzezinski asked.

“I don’t think it was Platner. What was it Willie?” Scarborough replied.

“Was something,” Geist said. “First of all, you misinterpreted. That was a lovely compliment to my father, Bill Geist. I appreciate that.”

“Oh, of course!” Brzezinski and Scarborough said.

“They’ve known each other for, gosh, almost a half century here in New York City,” Geist explained. “So, I appreciate that, but I think what we were talking about, you’ll note, is the breaking news from The New York Times, and that excerpt from Maggie Haberman’s new book about the Epstein files.”

“Oh wow!” Scarborough said.

“Oh my God,” Brzezinski followed.

“This is something you cannot mention around the President of the United States,” Geist added.

Co-host Jonathan Lemire agreed that the discussion may have struck a nerve, noting that the president had since fired off a further social media barrage about his strikes against Iran.

“My sense of it is,” Lemire said. “I think clearly Epstein is a sensitivity.”

Scarborough then returned to addressing Trump directly: “Well, thank you for chiming in, Mr. President. As always, we appreciate you watching the show, and as always, pray for your health, as I tell you, and pray for your well-being.”

“And I am going to continue to double down praying for you, because on New Year’s Eve I said I would be praying for you, and hope that in the New Year you would remember what Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” 2026 hasn’t quite gone that way, has it?” the host continued.

“I guess I got to double down with my prayers, my prayers haven’t been answered yet. I’m going to double, I’m going to pray without ceasing that he becomes a peacemaker,” Scarborough concluded.

Watch above via MS NOW.

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