MSNBC's Joe Scarborough Slams Fox News' Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum Over 'Softball' Town Hall Event With Donald Trump
Jan. 11 2024, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough was baffled by the "softball questions" from Fox News' Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum at Wednesday night's televised town hall event with Donald Trump.
Scarborough went scored earth on the network as he branded the town hall event a "paid advertisement" for the Trump campaign, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The Morning Joe host had a lot to say — and didn't hold back — when it came time to discuss Fox News' town hall event with Trump in Iowa. He began by calling out ineffective moderators Baier and MacCallum and their lack of tough questions for the GOP frontrunner.
"I would call it softball — a softball event," Scarborough said Thursday. "I’ve never seen one as fawning. I’m not even sure why they had two hosts there. You know, they could have just had one and just sit there and say, ‘Smile and say, you’re great."
The MSNBC host continued, "It’s not like he was backed into the corner — he admitted that he was the one who terminated Roe v. Wade."
Scarborough referred to an audience question for Trump in which he was asked if he would "protect all life, every person’s right to life, without compromise" if he were re-elected.
"For 54 years, they were trying to get Roe v. Wade terminated, and I did it. And I’m proud to have done it," Trump answered, to which Scarborough branded the remark an "incredible political mistake."
While Scarborough highlighted Trump's apparent satisfaction over dismantling abortion rights across the country — a key issue that has already hurt the Republican party during 2022 midterms — he seemed particularly peeved at how the town hall shaped up to be a "paid advertisement" for the Trump campaign.
"It was just an embarrassment," Scarborough said. "Like, Fox News ‘Ooh, we’re going to be for DeSantis’…Even DeSantis’s people were like, ‘Seriously, this is a paid advertisement for Donald Trump,’ which it was."
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"I was shocked," the MSNBC host continued. "I was absolutely shocked sitting watching, going, 'Are they going to.. like.. bring out some Dreamland ribs for him? Are they going to just sit there and talk about football? Cause, it was again, the easiest thing."
"I’ve never seen a paid advertisement on Fox News like, or anywhere else."
Despite Scarborough's claims that the Fox News hosts skirted around tough questions for Trump, many viewers felt differently.
Baier pressed the ex-president on there being "bedlam" in the country if the U.S. Supreme Court did not rule in favor of him in ballot eligibility cases, as well as asking for clarification on statements he made on hoping for an economic crash while Biden is in office. Additionally, Baier questioned if Trump could "say tonight that political violence is never acceptable?"
As for MacCallum, she brought up a hot topic concerning the GOP frontrunner's potential running mate, "If you are the nominee, which I know you expect to be, who would be in the running for vice president?"