MSNBC host Joe Scarborough admitted Tuesday he was careless in the way he laid out and promoted an Sept. 11 anniversary opinion piece arguing President Trump poses a greater threat to the American dream than any foreign adversary.
“Many have been offended by a tweet I sent out earlier re: my @washingtonpost article,” Scarborough wrote on Twitter. “Even if they did not read the article, I should have shown more care on the tweet’s wording and the column’s conclusion.”
Scarborough, a former Republican congressman who deregistered in protest of his party’s embrace of Trump, said he usually didn’t “shy away” from negative feedback, but wanted to be more respectful on the 17th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. He added that his point was to highlight the country’s history of policy blunders,” however, Trump supporters focused on his last paragraph.
“On September 11th, I’ll read the column again and think about whether I could have said the same thing in a way less offensive to Trump supporters on September 11th,” he continued.
Jeryl, you’re a great example for all of us—especially me today. Many have been offended by a tweet I sent out earlier re: my @washingtonpost article. Even if they did not read the article, I should have shown more care on the tweet’s wording and the column’s conclusion. https://t.co/A7zJR38JiC
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) September 11, 2018
Scarborough’s initial tweet slightly tweaked the headline of his Washington Post op-ed.
“My Latest—> Trump is damaging the dream of America more than any terrorist attack ever could,” he wrote.
My Latest—> Trump is damaging the dream of America more than any terrorist attack ever could. https://t.co/DEnYurEFmW
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) September 11, 2018
In his piece, Scarborough asserted Trump was undermining American ideals of freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. He also criticized the president and a Republican-controlled Congress for drumming up “more debt in one year than was generated in the first 200 years of America’s existence.”
[Also read: New York Times publishes opinion piece from anonymous senior Trump administration official]
“Sixteen years of strategic missteps have been followed by the maniacal moves of a man who has savaged America’s vital alliances, provided comfort to hostile foreign powers, attacked our intelligence and military communities, and lent a sympathetic ear to neo-Nazis and white supremacists across the globe,” he opined. “The question for voters this fall is whether their country will move beyond this troubled chapter in history or whether they will continue supporting a politician who has done more damage to the dream of America than any foreign adversary ever could.”
Commemorative ceremonies took place around the nation on Tuesday to mark the deadly events of 2001, which claimed the lives of almost 3,000 people.
