President Trump launched personal attacks against us Thursday, but our concerns about his unmoored behavior go far beyond the personal. Americas leaders and allies are asking themselves yet again whether this man is fit to be president. We have our doubts, but we are both certain that the man is not mentally equipped to continue watching our show, Morning Joe.
The presidents unhealthy obsession with our show has been in the public record for months, and we are seldom surprised by his posting nasty tweets about us. During the campaign, the Republican nominee called Mika neurotic and promised to attack us personally after the campaign ended. This year, top White House staff members warned that the National Enquirer was planning to publish a negative article about us unless we begged the president to have the story spiked. We ignored their desperate pleas.
(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)
The presidents unhealthy obsession with Morning Joe does not serve the best interests of either his mental state or the country he runs. Despite his constant claims that he no longer watches the show, the presidents closest advisers tell us otherwise. That is unfortunate. We believe it would be better for America and the rest of the world if he would keep his 60-inch-plus flat-screen TV tuned to Fox & Friends.
For those lucky enough to miss Thursdays West Wing temper tantrum, the president continued a year-long habit of lashing out at Morning Joe while claiming to never watch it. During his early-morning tirade, Mr. Trump spit out schoolyard insults about low I.Q. Crazy Mika, Psycho Joe and much worse. He also fit a flurry of falsehoods in his two-part tweetstorm.
Mr. Trump claims that we asked to join him at Mar-a-Lago three nights in a row. That is false. He also claimed that he refused to see us. That is laughable.
The president-elect invited us both to dinner on Dec. 30. Joe attended because Mika did not want to go. After listening to the president-elect talk about his foreign policy plans, Joe was asked by a disappointed Mr. Trump the next day if Mika could also visit Mar-a-Lago that night. She reluctantly agreed to go. After we arrived, the president-elect pulled us into his familys living quarters with his wife, Melania, where we had a pleasant conversation. We politely declined his repeated invitations to attend a New Years Eve party, and we were back in our car within 15 minutes.
Mr. Trump also claims that Mika was bleeding badly from a face-lift. That is also a lie.
Putting aside Mr. Trumps never-ending obsession with womens blood, Mika and her face were perfectly intact, as pictures from that night reveal. And though it is no ones business, the presidents petulant personal attack against yet another womans looks compels us to report that Mika has never had a face-lift. If she had, it would be evident to anyone watching Morning Joe on their high-definition TV. She did have a little skin under her chin tweaked, but this was hardly a state secret. Her mother suggested she do so, and all those around her were aware of this mundane fact.
More significant is Mr. Trumps continued mistreatment of women. It is disturbing that the president of the United States keeps up his unrelenting assault on women. From his menstruation musings about Megyn Kelly, to his fat-shaming treatment of a former Miss Universe, to his braggadocio claims about grabbing womens genitalia, the 45th president is setting the poorest of standards for our children. We were heartened to hear a number of Republican lawmakers call out Mr. Trump for his offensive words and can only hope that the women who are closest to him will follow their examples. It would be the height of hypocrisy to claim the mantle of womens empowerment while allowing a family member to continue such abusive conduct.
(Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)
We have known Mr. Trump for more than a decade and have some fond memories of our relationship together. But that hasnt stopped us from criticizing his abhorrent behavior or worrying about his fitness. During the height of the 2016 presidential campaign, Joe often listened to Trump staff members complain about their bosss erratic behavior, including a top campaign official who was as close to the Republican candidate as anyone.
We, too, have noticed a change in his behavior over the past few years. Perhaps that is why we were neither shocked nor insulted by the presidents personal attack. The Donald Trump we knew before the campaign was a flawed character but one who still seemed capable of keeping his worst instincts in check.
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Donald Trump is not well - Washington Post