For years now, Donald Trump has been the person Joe Scarborough most likes to hate. However there’s one other Republican who has emerged as an in depth second amongst folks Scarborough despises: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. NewsBusters has famous Scarborough’s disdain for DeSantis plenty of instances (right here and right here). Scarborough was again at his diss-DeSantis shtick on Wednesday’s Morning Joe.

Handicapping the GOP main area, Scarborough predicted that DeSantis’ marketing campaign “goes to finish very badly . . . It should begin as excessive as a Chinese language balloon over Montana, and by the point it will get to South Carolina, they are going to be in search of wreckage.” 

In distinction, Scarborough pumped up the prospects of Chris Sununu. He depicted the New Hampshire Governor as somebody who “would not put up with numerous you recognize what,” may be very widespread in his dwelling state [where the first primary is held after the Iowa caucuses], and may “punch again” with Trump on a debate stage.

So, what explains Scarborough’s raging animosity towards DeSantis? It could be the usual liberal-media aim of tearing down a attainable Republican frontrunner for one they like for Democrats to run towards a la 2016. However sprinkle in a jot of jealousy maybe on Scarborough’s half.

Scarborough reportedly toyed with the concept of working for president himself in 2020. And now he sees his fellow Floridian DeSantis with a practical shot on the White Home. Joe, wanting within the mirror, telling himself, “I coulda been a contender?”

In concept, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley ought to have been the subject of the day, on condition that she put out her announcement video on Tuesday. Wednesday’s CNN This Morning gave her numerous play. However Morning Joe gave Haley comparatively brief shrift, with restricted dialogue and Scarborough placing her over/underneath odds of successful the nomination at a paltry 2.5 p.c.

Katty Kay, the BBCer who doubles as a Morning Joe common, was a dependable liberal. However she has usually been detest to precise sturdy opinions. Not this time. She lit into DeSantis as strongly as did Scarborough, envisioning his marketing campaign “crash[ing] within the water,” and predicting that he could be incapable of standing as much as Trump, who will “stroll throughout him.”

Joe Scarborough trashing Ron DeSantis and pumping up the GOP main prospects of Chris Sununu was sponsored partially by Sleep Quantity, GlaxoSmithKline, maker of Shingrix, and Priceline.

Here is the transcript.

MSNBC’s Morning Joe
2/15/23
6:23 am ET

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Nicely, Willie, you recognize that Caesars calls you and me once they wish to set the strains —

WILLIE GEIST: [chuckles] Yeah.

SCARBOROUGH: — for these political elections. And you’ll keep in mind, weeks out, we put the over/underneath for Macron at 58.5%. 

GEIST: Yeah.

SCARBOROUGH: And it was 58.5%. I’m now able to do the over and underneath for each candidate we simply talked about —

GEIST: Maintain on. I will write it down.

SCARBOROUGH: Each candidate we simply talked about. Nikki Haley, the over/underneath, 2.5%. John Bolton, 0.5%. Mike Pompeo, 1.25%. Mike Pence, 5%, over/underneath. Tim Scott, 4.5%. Who else do we now have there?

GEIST: You have bought Larry Hogan, Brian Kemp, Chris Sununu.

SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, you recognize? I bought to say — properly, I imply, Kemp, zero. And Larry Hogan, God bless him, love what he is accomplished. God bless him, although, on this main. John Bolton 1.5%. I am sorry. That is just about it. 

However, you recognize, Sununu is an fascinating one. And I am not prepared to maintain him in low single digits. Perhaps put him at 7.5%. However he is an fascinating one. I nonetheless, I nonetheless suppose — and, and, and Gene, I nonetheless suppose that is Donald Trump’s area. 

EUGENE ROBINSON: I feel so.

SCARBOROUGH: I suppose all people you set up on stage, perhaps with the exception — and I will say this, of Chris Sununu, who sitting at 70-plus p.c up in New Hampshire, and would not actually put up with numerous you recognize what. I feel he can type of punch him again.

ROBINSON: He, perhaps he can. You recognize, we have to see how a few of these candidates will carry out on a nationwide stage and the way they play in the remainder of the nation. Together with Ron DeSantis, by the best way. We’ll should — I do know he does properly within the polls, now. However when he will get on the market, he shall be, I feel, essentially the most humorless, bombastic main candidate for president in a very long time.

SCARBOROUGH: I feel that is going to finish very badly. I feel that is one in every of this stuff, he is cloistered, Katty, in Tallahassee. Get him exterior of Tallahassee, it isn’t going to go properly.

KATTY KAY: The place did you set DeSantis? What was the over/underneath on Desantis?
>>

SCARBOROUGH: I did not put an over/underneath on him. I feel it will begin, I feel it will begin as excessive as a Chinese language balloon over Montana, and —

KAY: — and finish about —

SCARBOROUGH: And by the point it will get to South Carolina — 

KAY: —it is crashed within the water.

SCARBOROUGH: It is gonna–yeah. They’ll be in search of wreckage.

KAY: I converse to a fairly assured, once they get, Desantis will not have the ability to stand up to the Trump juggernaut of assaults when it occurs. He is too thin-skinned, he is too defensive —

SCARBOROUGH: Yeah.

KAY: — too awkward on a debate stage, and Trump will stroll throughout him.