Mika Brzezinski explains what went through her head when she learned about Trump's vicious tweet


Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski offered Vanity Fair the back story to the vicious attacks President Trump lobbed at her on Twitter on Thursday. "I kind of wanted to keep that to myself," Brzezinski said of the procedure Trump had targeted her for when he tweeted that "low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came to Mar-a-Lago [three] nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!"
While Brzezinski and co-host Joe Scarborough responded at length to Trump's tweets Friday morning, even bringing to the surface allegations that Trump had tried to blackmail them about their negative coverage of his administration, Brzezinski added the story of how she had personally learned about the attacks:
"I said, 'Guys! What did he tweet?' Willie showed me, and I started laughing, and said, 'Shit. I kind of wanted to keep that to myself,'" [Brzezinski] said, referring to the procedure she had undergone to tighten the skin under her neck. "I had a turkey neck. My mom told me to get it done," she explained. "I was FaceTiming all my friends, telling them to get it done, that it wasn't so bad."She said that she had told Melania Trump about the procedure when the couple stopped by Mar-a-Lago on New Year's Eve. "The irony of it all is that Donald kept saying, 'That's incredible. You can't even tell? Who did it? Who did it?' He kept asking for the name of the doctor. He literally asked 10 times. 'Is he down here? Who is he?'" Scarborough recalled. (A spokesman from the White House declined to comment.) [Vanity Fair]
Read more about how Brzezinski learned about Trump's tweets, and how she is feeling now, at Vanity Fair.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A tomato fight, painting behind bars, and more
-
Mountainhead: Jesse Armstrong's tech bro satire sparkles with 'weapons-grade zingers'
The Week Recommends The Succession creator's first feature film lacks the hit TV show's 'dramatic richness' – but makes for a horribly gripping watch
-
Seeing Each Other: Portraits of Artists – a 'riveting' exhibition
The Week Recommends Pallant House exhibition offers fascinating instances of painterly reciprocity
-
Trump hits Africa, Middle East with new travel ban
Speed Read The travel ban bars visitors from 12 countries and restricts entry from seven
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge