Joe Scarborough thinks it's safe to 'assume the worst' of Trump and Putin's second, undisclosed meeting

On Wednesday, Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough made the case against giving President Trump the benefit of the doubt on his second, undisclosed meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting at the G-20 summit earlier this month, which was confirmed Tuesday by a White House official, apparently lasted an hour and took place during a dinner at the summit, when Trump reportedly left his seat mid-meal to sit next to Putin.
Scarborough was flabbergasted that Trump — especially amid the ongoing Russia investigation — would meet with Putin and a Russian interpreter by himself. "Because of what Donald Trump has done in the past, reporters, foreign policy analysts, and our allies can safely assume the worst," Scarborough said. "They can safely assume the worst of Donald Trump. They can safely assume the worst of Vladimir Putin."
Scarborough then recalled what went down at Trump's meeting at the White House in May with Russian officials, during which Trump revealed highly classified information. "He was talking about firing James Comey and saying that he's gotten the pressure off of everybody because he had fired the nutcase who was investigating Donald Trump's possible illegal ties with Russia," Scarborough said. "So what are we to assume if not the worst?"
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.
Trump has blamed the "Fake News" for making a "dinner arranged for top 20 leaders in Germany" look "sinister." But Scarborough argued "it was the president himself who made this look sinister."
Watch below. Becca Stanek
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
August 24 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Putin at Donald Trump's circus, gallons of whitewash, and a foldable cartoon
-
5 Post Office-approved cartoons about mail-in voting
Cartoons Artists take on reverse logic, Putin's election advice, and more
-
The battle of the weight-loss drugs
Talking Point Can Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly regain their former stock market glory? A lot is riding on next year's pills
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by Trump
Speed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank plan
Speed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'