MSNBC host and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough, who has championed Donald Trump’s candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination, said Trump is no longer running a winning campaign.
On his “Morning Joe” show Monday, Scarborough said that where he once believed Trump was a serious contender for the White House, he doesn’t think it’s possible in light of recent events.
“I predicted about a month ago that Donald Trump could actually … win the general election. That prediction is pulled off the table for me,” Scarborough said. He referenced controversial comments from Trump, including his initial apprehension to disavow support from white supremacist groups and his labeling of Islam as a religion that “hates us.”
Trump has also stirred controversy in recent days for emboldening attendees at his rallies who physically confront protesters, which has resulted in violence.
“I can’t tell you how many people over the past three weeks have gone, ‘you know what, I was thinking about [voting for Trump], I’m not thinking about it anymore,'” said Scarborough. “That’s not to say he’s not going to do well. He’s just not going to win the general election in this mode. Not even close.”
Willie Geist, a co-host of NBC’s “Today,” agreed.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say the same thing,” he said. “He was an interesting candidate for a while, he’s different, he shakes things up and after the [Ku Klux Klan] thing forward, I think a lot of people have gotten off that middle ground where they thought they perhaps could vote for him.”
