Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump took to Twitter Monday with the claim MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski are lovers.
The rant was part of Mr. Trump’s long-running feud with the show, which is consistently critical of his campaign. He has said he no longer watches the show.
“Tried watching low-rated @Morning_Joe this morning, unwatchable! @morningmika is off the wall, a neurotic and not very bright mess!” he tweeted.
He quickly followed it up with another tweet: “Some day, when things calm down, I’ll tell the real story of @JoeNBC and his very insecure long-time girlfriend, @morningmika. Two clowns!”
Rumors about romance between Mr. Scarborough and the recently divorced Ms. Brzenzinki have been swirling for months. The New York Post’s “Page Six” reported that the affair was the “worst kept secret in TV.”
Still Trump’s jab at the two talk show personalities highlighted some of the biggest fears within the Republican Party: Mr. Trump can’t stay on message and will undermine his own campaign.
Mr. Scarborough responded with a mocking tweet: “Thanks for watching. Morning Joe is enjoying it’s best ratings ever thanks to obsessed fans like you.”
He also defended his co-host: “Neurotic and not very bright? Look in the mirror.”
Republican strategist Ryan Williams said the episode underscored the lack of discipline plaguing Mr. Trump, who is trailing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in nearly every poll.
“How is it in any way productive for this guy to go out and bash Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for allegedly being a couple,” he said. “What is he tying to accomplish except just making himself feel good?”
Mr. Williams said the Twitter rants play into Mrs. Clinton’s argument that the New York billionaire is reckless and can’t be trusted with the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
“Someone just needs to take the phone away from him,” said Mr. Williams.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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