‘Morning Joe’: Chris Matthews Rips Into Democrats for Failing to Do This

MS NOW contributor Chris Matthews blasted “bored” Democrats on Wednesday’s (October 7) Morning Joe for not condemning the “unbelievable” remarks Donald Trump made at a Nebraska rally on Monday (October 5).

“It’s one thing to think about terrorism, but to join terrorism in the message, saying they’re going to drop a ballistic missile on LA or San Diego… Why would the president do that? Why would he join in the Iranian terror tactics?” Matthews said.

He was referring to comments Trump made at a midterms rally in Nebraska on Monday when talking about his war with Iran. “Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay,” the president said, which some interpreted as inviting Iran to strike the two California cities.

“Why would he talk about scaring American citizens in their homes, in our homeland?” Matthews continued. “Why would he do that? Why would he engage in something like that as an election tactic? It’s awful. It’s awful behavior by anybody, including a president!”

He then turned his attention to the Democrats, who he believed haven’t done enough to condemn Trump’s remarks. “The question is, can’t [Chuck] Schumer wake up?” Matthews stated. “Why aren’t all the Democratic leaders saying, ‘You cannot talk about joining the terrorists and scaring the American people? Mr. President, you’re our commander in chief; defend us! You’re not defending us!'”

The veteran reporter, who hosted Hardball with Chris Matthews on MS NOW (then MSNBC) from 1999 to 2020, continued to rant at Democrats to “wake up.”

“You know, why don’t they? Hakeem Jeffries, wake up,” he added. “Why don’t the leaders of the Democratic Party act like leaders who are against this poisoning effect of Donald Trump? It seems like they’re bored. I don’t know what it is.”

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Morning Joe cohost Jonathan Lemire noted that the White House had denied this characterization of Trump’s remarks. The official White House rapid response account wrote, “He was saying the US is fighting to STOP Iran from having the ability to take out LA and San Diego with a nuclear weapon — which they would if they had the chance.”

CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale also defended Trump, saying the phrase was taken out of context. “Trump has repeatedly argued that the consequence of the war, like higher gas prices, are a small price to pay compared to what an unchecked Iran could allegedly do,” Dale wrote on social media.

He added, “It’s Trump’s fault you kinda have to be steeped in TrumpRallySpeak to know what he was saying last night, and of course you can say it’s inappropriate regardless for the president to casually float the possibility of a city being wiped out, but the context exists and is important.”

You can watch the segment here courtesy of Mediaite.