UPDATE: Later in the show, Scarborough quoted from this item on the air. Wallace sarcastically commented "Finkelstein likes me a lot." Video clip at foot.
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If Nicolle Wallace wants to attack Donald Trump, there's nothing wrong with that. And the way she "pre-tweeted" Trump's counter-attack on her, saying she was too stupid to keep her job at The View, was actually rather witty.
But on today's Morning Joe, Wallace made a bad mistake. Rather than focusing her fire on Trump, she attacked the millions of decent Americans who support him. According to Wallace, Trump is "tapping into the most sinister sentiments in the country." Joe Scarborough pushed back, pointing out that Wallace's own father is an avid Trump fan. "My father is listening to his dark angels," replied Wallace.
The conversation was touched off by a New York Times article describing the way the Republican establishment is panicking over the prospect of Trump's nomination, yet is hesitant to take him on.
NICOLLE WALLACE: The fact that everyone's afraid to take him on except Kasich, who's running an ad that sort of taps into that, is the essential problem. And I could pre-tweet the attack on me before I say anything about him: "you dummy, you big jerk, you stupid, too stupid to keep your job at The View, Nicolle Wallace." There you go, I wrote it for you, Donald. He is tapping into the most sinister sentiments in this country. People that are angry about the Obama administration.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Let me stop you there.
WALLACE: People have been afraid to criticize him because they feel like nothing will hurt him. And that is true also. All I'm saying is the things about him that are bad don't hurt him politically so people are throwing their hands up saying, why bother?
JOE: They don't hurt him politically. His floor now appears to be higher than everybody else's ceiling.
WALLACE: It has been for a little while.
JOE: He cannot offend his 23, 24, 25%. And you said the word "sinister." Let me ask you, is my brother sinister? Because, I get texts all weekend back and forth. It doesn't matter what it is. I get texts. Is your father sinister?
WALLACE: My father is listening to his dark angels. And we've been fighting every night. I called him last week.
JOE: You are calling your father sinister for supporting Donald Trump.
WALLACE: Listen: family counselors may have to flood the scene. I'm sure a lot of families over Thanksgiving had this fight when relatives are in the Trump camp, and people who are Trump critics say how can you support the guy who would put every Muslim [inaudible]?
Here's the clip of Joe reading from this item off his smartphone and discussing it with Wallace.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: So, let me just say, I love the world that we live in. Instant articles, instant --
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: What did you get?
JOE: Well, Nicolle Wallace--this is NewsBusters, Mark Finkelstein --
NICOLLE WALLACE: He likes me a lot.
JOE: "Nicolle Wallace accuses Trump supporters of sinister sentiments." And he goes on.
WALLACE: I think I accused my father of sinister sentiments.
JOE: [continuing to quote from item] "According to Wallace, Trump is tapping into the most sinister sentiments in the country.
MIKA: Very good words used!
WALLACE: There's a word for that: alliteration.
JOE: And then you said this, just in case your father wants to know: "my father is listening to his dark angels."
WALLACE: Yeah. Sorry for Mark Finkelstein, my father will never see that article.
MIKA: It's a post-fact society: don't worry.
JOE: I'm actually forwarding to your father, and to my brother!
WALLACE: Well you know what? Then you can take his call every night about Trump.
MIKE BARNICLE: Every night?
WALLACE: About Trump? My father calls me every night. He'll be like: you know what? I'm doubling down on my guy. Where's your guy?
