BS BULLETIN:
- President Trump went after Bill Maher and Joe Scarborough in a pair of early-morning Truth Social posts.
- Trump told Republicans to stop using Maher as a “sounding board,” saying it makes them look “sooo weak and foolish.”
- He then predicted Scarborough’s show would soon be “dead,” citing what Trump called “REALLY BAD RATINGS.”
President Donald Trump apparently woke up Monday morning with television on his mind.
And Bill Maher and Joe Scarborough were about to hear about it.
Trump fired off back-to-back Truth Social posts targeting the two hosts, beginning with Maher — although the president slipped something unusual into the attack.
He said he actually likes him.
Trump’s full post:
“Bill Maher’s ratings are so low that it is hard to believe his show can continue. In many ways it’s SAD because, in actuality, I like him. Republicans should stop using him as a sounding board, however. It makes them look sooo weak and foolish!”
Maher has become an unusual presence in conservative media circles in recent years, with his attacks on progressive politics frequently picked up by Fox News and other right-leaning outlets.
Trump apparently isn’t impressed.
And a few minutes later, he moved on to another longtime target: Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough.
Trump’s full post:
“Joe Scarborough’s show has been cut way back, and will soon be ‘dead!’ Too predictable and boring! REALLY BAD RATINGS, just like the rest of MSNOW (MSDNC!).”
Scarborough didn’t let Trump’s attack sit unanswered. He had a ready-made response to Trump’s ratings attack: the ratings themselves.
He claimed Morning Joe averaged 733,000 viewers in August, up 27 percent from the same month last year. He also claimed the program was the highest-rated morning show in the Washington, D.C., market.
Mediaite reported that he quickly fired back at the president Monday morning, continuing a feud that has been running for years.
But Trump’s message to Republicans about Maher may be the more interesting part of the morning blast.
Maher has increasingly irritated the left by criticizing progressive excesses, interviewing conservatives and occasionally finding common ground with Trump and his supporters.
Apparently that doesn’t mean Trump wants Republicans getting too comfortable on his couch.
MY QUICK TAKE:
This may be the most Trump thing you’ll read all morning.
“I like Bill Maher. Now Republicans, stop going on Bill Maher.”
And poor Joe Scarborough didn’t even get the “I like him” appetizer.
Straight to “dead.”
Monday morning television criticism, presidential edition.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Mediaite — ‘REALLY BAD RATINGS!’ Trump rages at Bill Maher and Joe Scarborough in wild AM rant
- Truth Social — President Trump’s post on Bill Maher and Joe Scarborough
