“This is the problem. You can't get real now. You can't start telling the truth now. And that's what everybody's doing.” So exclaimed Mika Brzezinski about the in-depth vetting Donald Trump is now receiving from his GOP opposition. The defense of Trump’s campaign was a prominent theme during Thursday’s edition of Morning Joe.
Hours before Mitt Romney was set to speak, Brzezinski was already out to discredit what he had to say and pretended she knew the full content of his speech. Filled with anger, Brzezinski condemned the fact that Romney would dare to speak out about the fate of his party at all. She even went so far as to argue that unless 
he was jumping into the race he should sit down and shut up. “You know what? If you don't have something to offer, if you're not going to jump in and get the fight, then what is it that you're saying or doing at this point?”
The rest of the panel was also in on the Trump-coronation idea. “I don't know why they think this is going to work in the first place. I don't know who they think this is going to influence in the second place.” Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele said. Steele also perpetuated the notion that Trump has so grown the Republican Party with his candidacy, keeping him happy is a necessity.
“I mean, you cannot lose sight of the fact that regardless of what you think about Donald Trump and feel about him, the establishment is going to need this man if -- even if he's not the nominee because he's bringing voters back in who have not been a part of this process, have not participated for some time.”
Trump may be driving up turnout -- for and against him -- but he also has sky high unfavorable ratings, and alienated vast swaths of the Party and the minority voters that could build a winning coalition.
The President and CEO of Politico, Jim VandeHei, tried to besmirch anyone who, at this point, thought it necessary to stand up to Trump. “Everybody wants this profile in courage because they're standing up to Donald Trump. Where the hell were you a month and a half ago? … You talk about the Club for Growth. They're going to put a million and a half into Florida? Who cares, that will move like four people.”
With only 15 contests into the GOP nomination process, and Trump failing to obtain 50 percent in any of them, Brzezinski advocated that the will of Trump supporters should be what Party leaders listen to. “And Jim VandeHei, have you heard from Trump voters? Because they do have a voice and there are thousands of them that go to his rallies and are showing up at the polls as we've seen now.”
If Brzezinski’s claim that “you can't start telling the truth now” is to be followed then voters would not know critical information about the candidate the media failed to vet and Morning Joe has a chummy relationship with. If Trump’s opponents were to just sit on their hands then they wouldn’t know that his campaign gave out press credentials to a white supremacist radio station, the failings of many of Trump’s products and investments, or how he hired 200 illegal immigrants to build Trump Tower.
Transcript below:
MSNBC
Morning Joe
March 3, 2016
6:17:29 – 6:20:13MIKA BRZEZINSKI: This is the problem. This is the problem. You can't get real now. You can't start telling the truth now. And that's what everybody's doing. This is the problem. Michael Steele, you heard from Mark Halperin saying Mitt Romney has a unique voice in the party. Well, that's double speak.
We're going to hear him saying one thing out of his mouth a few years ago, as Willie just showed us, and another thing today? You know what? If you don't have something to offer, if you're not going to jump in and get the fight, then what is it that you're saying or doing at this point? Donald Trump is going to eat him up. Eat him alive. He's going to throw this away. He’s going to take that thing right there, Instagram it, cut it together. He’s probably-- We've already seen this story and it hasn't happened yet. I know how it ends.
MICHAEL STEELE: This is part of the problem. I don't know why they think this is going to work in the
first place. I don't know who they think this is going to influence in the second place. Keep in mind, Mitt Romney lost three million Republicans who did not even bother to show up at the polls in 2012 to vote for him because they did not support his campaign. So now, to double back and to go after the very guy who has brought them back into the party?
I mean, you cannot lose sight of the fact that regardless of what you think about Donald Trump and feel about him, the establishment is going to need this man if -- even if he's not the nominee because he's bringing voters back in who have not been a part of this process, have not participated for some time.
BRZEZINSKI: That is correct. And they have a voice too.
STEELE: And they have a voice. So you're going go after the guy who they're now rallying behind. I don't understand what they think is going to happen here. But, all this does in my view, from what I'm hearing from around the country, is strengthening Donald Trump's hand.
BRZEZINSKI: I’m going to tell you. I can tell you what's happening. This is going to strengthen Donald Trump. And Jim VandeHei, have you heard from trump voters? Because they do
have a voice and there are thousands of them that go to his rallies and are showing up at the polls as we've seen now. How many times do we have to say this? How many states have we done? You can't just hate him. You have to act.
JIM VANDEHEI: We have to act that’s the other thing. Everybody wants this profile in courage because they're standing up to Donald Trump. Where the hell were you a month and a half ago? Imagine if they had.
You talk about the Club for Growth. They're going to put a million and a half into Florida? Who cares, that will move like four people. You have to put tens of millions of dollars into two states, you need do it right away and they should have done it a month ago.
And listen, if you would have moved voters by 3 percent in Virginia you would have had -- you would have potentially had a Trump loss. If you did in the Vermont or if you did it in Arkansas you could have had him finish third in Iowa but nobody spent the money when it was tough to do. And now I'm skeptical of all these stories you're talking about this morning. Until you see real people put real money into real states, all it is fun speculation and it will be too late by the time they act.
