Whether or not you believe in “karma is a bish,” or “tempting the fates,” it’s undeniable that Joe Scarborough went on an unseemly riff on Thursday’s Morning Joe, gloating over what he saw as various woes facing Trump and the Republicans at the midterms. The screencap shows him holding up one of the headlines he described as “bad news” for Trump.
On MS NOW, this is called Happy News. We're winning! Joe stopped just short of rubbing his hands in glee. Should the Republicans dodge the midterms bullet, Scarborough’s doomsday shtick will be replay gold.
MS NOW Republican Elise Jordan joined the savoring. She reported, with obvious relish, that her focus group of suburban Iowa voters in West Des Moines showed “it’s looking good for the Dems” in the Senate race to replace Republican Joni Ernst.
Scarborough cataloged Trump's supposed troubles in detail:
“If you look at the news, bad news, of course, on the doorstep. Inflation jumped. That’s really bad news for them. You look at what’s happening with Ukraine, it’s just absolutely dreadful. You look at the president, you look at the polls, they’re bad political news.”
From White House insiders, Scarborough reported “attacks on the new press secretary. The long knives are out. And, number two, attacks on Kimberly Guilfoyle.” He flagged the front-page Wall Street Journal story on “Guilfoyle’s Final Days” and suggested she would remain in the news through Election Day, partly because of “concerns inside the administration that she may talk.”
Jonathan Lemire called the atmosphere “reminiscent of Trump 1.0”—infighting, backstabbing, leaks “to knife a colleague. This is what, when the wheels come off, people start either looking for the exits or jockeying for themselves.” Once again, this is the "news" they're chasing -- Trump is always losing, if they have anything to say about it.
Scarborough added that, right after the new press secretary was announced, insiders urged a check into “what she and her husband did in China,” implying “something really nefarious.” He stressed the tip came “from the Trump White House,” not the left, and labeled it “infighting on Day One.” Lemire called the operation “rudderless and wildly off message.”
Scarborough Savors Trump’s Supposed Struggles pic.twitter.com/ZYM7yK7Xow
— Mark Finkelstein (@markfinkelstein) October 15, 2026
When questions surfaced about whether new White House spokesperson Katie Zacharia had taken or passed the bar, Scarborough clarified: “I don’t want anybody to misunderstand what I’m saying. The issue here is, this is a window into larger dysfunction inside the White House.” The China whispers, he said, showed “how deeply dysfunctional that White House is right now,” a month before the election.
Earlier in the segment, Scarborough had mocked the energy at Trump’s rallies, describing audiences “just sitting back there staring like, what’s he saying?” and comparing the scene to “Archie Bunker staring at a TV set.” Lemire supplied a reunion-tour analogy, saying it felt “like a band that’s maybe been on one too many reunion tours,” ready to “play our whole album from front to back.”
Take Lemire's words to heart, Joe. For the third day running, Scarborough raised the bit about Trump commenting on men’s physiques—this time dropping any pretense of mere innuendo. “Let’s go to the ass-gazing desk,” he announced, then asked Willie Geist: “any of the president lusting after male candidates’ asses yet?” Geist reported nothing new on that front—or rear.
This time around, Scarborough ditched the innuendo. The suggestion that Trump is gay was no longer left to the viewer’s imagination, as Joe spoke of the president "lusting after male candidates’ asses."
Stay classy, Nantucket Joe.
Here’s the transcript.
MS NOW
Morning Joe
10/15/26
6:01 a. EDTJOE SCARBOROUGH: Most of those clips, John, from yesterday, from those rallies, people were just sitting back there staring like, what's he saying? It's like, it's like, it's like, it's like this whole rally came out to watch, like Archie Bunker stare at a TV set and make comments that just are, don't really connect together.
JONATHAN LEMIRE: It does feel like a band that's maybe been on one too many reunion tours. Like this is like, this is our farewell. This time, yes, we'll play our whole album from front to back.
. . .
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: And you're bringing us a focus group today.
ELISE JORDAN: We are. We have some Iowa voters. We were going to talk to suburban Iowa voters, West Des Moines, and hear what they think in the Senate race. Where I must say it's looking good for the Dems, if I had to say.
SCARBOROUGH: Also, Mika, hold on one second. We're getting an update [imitates hearing through ear piece] on yesterday's speeches. Let's go to the ass-gazing desk.
WILLIE GEIST: Oh no.
SCARBOROUGH: Of the president. Willie Geist is there right now. Willie, any, any of the president lusting after, male candidates' asses yet?
GEIST: Well, it's an honor again to be the --
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, this is your desk. This is why you've got it.
MIKA: Your career is flying.
GEIST: It is, it is. This is why you get into the business. For moments like this. Nothing specifically about anyone's rear end, no male rear-end gazing.
SCARBOROUGH: I know Jonathan, if you look at the news, bad news, of course, on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step. Inflation jumped. That's really bad news for 'em. You look at what's happening with Ukraine, it's just absolutely, dreadful. you look at the president, you look at the polls, they're, they're bad political news.
What I find interesting is the two main things I heard coming out of the White House from White House insiders were, one, attacks on the new press secretary. the, the long knives are out, and, number two, attacks on Kimberly Guilfoyle.
MIKA: And the big front page Wall Street Journal story today, "Inside Guilfoyle's Final Days."
SCARBOROUGH: Right, and, and more, I mean, Kimberly Guilfoyle's probably gonna be on the front page between now and Election Day. Or not the front page, but in the, because there's so many stories right now, like this Wall Street Journal story. And also, of course, some concerns inside the administration that she may talk.
LEMIRE: Yeah, I think that it's so reminiscent of Trump 1.0. That there's the infighting, the backstabbing, suddenly the leaks to knife a colleague that they don't like or are jealous of. That wasn't happening in the first year or so of this time, of this term. And I think we are seeing, this is what, when the wheels come off, you know, people start either looking for the exits or jockeying for themselves.
And I think what we're going to see starting real soon, though, there's going to be people who want to stay in the administration, because they want to have government lawyers for what's coming in terms of the investigations from the House.
SCARBOROUGH: I can say also, soon after the new press secretary was announced, I started getting calls from people connected, on the inside, talking about China, going, you need to check into what she and her husband did in China. Like, suggesting something really nefarious.
And, and, and I'm sitting there thinking, wait a second, I'm not getting this from The Nation [a leftist magazine], I'm getting this from the Trump White House, that are suggesting there's something nefarious involved in the China connection, which, talk about infighting, on day one!
LEMIRE: And it's emblematic of where they are right now. They seem rudderless, and wildly off message.
MIKA: I think there are huge questions about whether or not she took the bar, and reporting yesterday is that she actually is not a lawyer.
. . .
SCARBOROUGH: I don't want anybody to misunderstand what I'm saying. The issue here is, this is a window into larger dysfunction inside the White House. And China and, and, them whispering, check, check out what she did in China. It's not about what she did in China. We'll let, you know, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, everybody else, go after that, New York Post, figure out what that is.
The only reason I bring it up is, it points to the dysfunction in the White House that they would basically say she's a dupe of China! Those are Trump people!
And that they're doing this a month before an election shows you how deeply dysfunctional that White House is right now.
