Joe Scarborough unleashed on President Donald Trump’s latest threats against former National Security Advisor John Bolton and other political targets during Monday’s Morning Joe.
Trump, who has publicly gone after Bolton following the FBI’s raid on his home, sounded off in a Sunday night Truth Social post. The president turned his ire on former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, too, threatening to revisit the 2013 “bridgegate” scandal, after Christie criticized Trump on ABC News.
“Can anyone believe anything Sloppy Chris says?” Trump wrote. “For the sake of JUSTICE, perhaps we should start looking at that very serious [bridgegate] situation again?”
Scarborough, clearly unimpressed, tore into the president’s vendetta. “You just sit and wonder,” the Morning Joe host said. “The people that are sitting in the administration right now, making these moves, do they not understand that what goes around comes around? If they were so shocked and stunned and deeply saddened by what happened over the last four years, they’re doing it this four years. What do they think is going to happen when Democrats get back into power?! Do we really want this cycle to continue?!”
The Bulwark’s Sam Stein, appearing on the show, suggested the Trump administration is operating under the assumption that it will never relinquish power. “Well, do they think Democrats will get back into power? I mean, that’s the question, right?” Stein said.
Scarborough offered a blunt answer. “Democrats—let me just assure everybody right now—they will get back into power! Our independents will get into power! And people that are doing this right now will leave office with a cloud over their head, wondering what happens next! Now, let’s stop this madness!”
“Bridgegate” was the 2013 political scandal involving the George Washington Bridge, which connects Fort Lee, New Jersey, to Manhattan.
In Sept. 2013, several access lanes from Fort Lee to the bridge were suddenly closed for four days, causing massive traffic jams. The lane closures were later revealed to be political retribution by allies of Christie against Fort Lee’s Democratic mayor, who had declined to endorse Christie’s re-election bid.
Christie denied knowledge of the scheme. Two aides were convicted of fraud and conspiracy, though their convictions were overturned by the Supreme Court in 2020.
Christie earned Trump’s ire after he said during an appearance on ABC News that the president “doesn’t care” about a separation between his office and criminal investigations.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
