MSNBC's Joe Scarborough slams Trump for brazenly 'lying' to 'American heroes'


President Trump couldn't even get a visit to the troops right, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough says.
On Wednesday, Trump made his first active war zone visit to surprise troops in Iraq. The trip is worth commending — except the part where Trump brought up the border wall fight to push his "unpopular domestic agenda" on "American heroes," Scarborough said on Morning Joe Thursday morning.
Scarborough went on to compare Trump to Winston Churchill and former GOP presidents, saying they never tore down political opponents on war zone visits. Scarborough then mentioned another gaffe: how Trump falsely claimed he fought Democrats to push a 10 percent pay raise for troops. "The very people who would know that [Trump] was lying about their pay raise would be the troops themselves," Scarborough incredulously added.
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.
But "worse" than those "lies" are Trump's "dangerous policies" that could force Americans to fight terrorists back at home, Scarborough said. "U.S. leaders once stood up to bullying threats from tyrannical thugs from Turkey or from Russia," Scarborough said. But Trump, he added, "caved like a quivering coward" amid pressure from Turkey to end America's campaign in Syria. Trump also listened to Russia in choosing to go soft on Saudi Arabia, Scarborough said, adding that it all puts "all Americans in greater danger."
Watch the whole scathing segment below. Kathryn Krawczyk
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
July 12 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include generational ennui, tariffs on Canada, and a conspiracy rabbit hole
-
5 unusually elusive cartoons about the Epstein files
Cartoons Artists take on Pam Bondi's vanishing desk, the Mar-a-Lago bathrooms, and more
-
Lemon and courgette carbonara recipe
The Week Recommends Zingy and fresh, this pasta is a summer treat
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling