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Morning Joe
Morning Joe 11/8/24
00:41:08
The Morning Joe panel recaps the outcome of the 2024 presidential race.
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- [00:01]
Joe Scarborough
Nice ride.
- [00:01]
Willie Geist
It's Toyota's all electric SUV, the BZ4X.
- [00:04]
Joe Scarborough
You're saying this thing runs on just electricity?
- [00:06]
Willie Geist
I mean, it's called all electric.
- [00:08]
Joe Scarborough
I thought it's called the BZ4X.
- [00:09]
Mika Brzezinski
It is.
- [00:10]
Jonathan Lemire
And it's all electric.
- [00:11]
Zanny Minton Beddoes
The all electric Toyota BZ4X. Gifting is hard, but here's a hint. Give the gift of connection from US Cellular. Not sure what that means. Here's a slightly more specific hint. You can choose four free phones and get four lines for $90 a month from US Cellular. Your family wants new phones. How they told us the good news is that compared to wrapping presents, you're great at getting hints. So take the hint and get them four free phones and four lines for $90 a month. U.S. cellular. Built for us.
- [00:45]
Willie Geist
President Biden addressed the nation for the.
- [00:47]
Carlos Curbelo
First time since Trump won the election.
- [00:50]
Mika Brzezinski
Democrats were like, well, I guess at this point, we can let him speak again. Let him talk. What's going to happen? During his speech, Biden said, you can't love your country only when you win.
- [01:02]
Carlos Curbelo
Then he said, but since I didn't.
- [01:04]
Mika Brzezinski
Win or lose, I can do whatever the hell I want. So, I mean, it doesn't matter.
- [01:07]
Willie Geist
I mean, biting that baby's leg. Biden also tried to comfort Democrats by saying, the America of your dreams is.
- [01:14]
Mika Brzezinski
Calling for you to get back up. And Biden said, no. Excuse me, I need to go take a nap.
- [01:22]
Carlos Curbelo
While many expected a speech about the peaceful transfer of power and moving on, old Joe had another idea. He had a major announcement up his sleeve.
- [01:30]
Mika Brzezinski
I'm staying in the race.
- [01:35]
Carlos Curbelo
Who's going to tell them?
- [01:41]
Joe Scarborough
The sun is coming up over New York City. Good morning and welcome to Morning Joe. It is Friday, November 8th. It felt like Friday yesterday, but today it actually is Friday. President Biden is pledging a peaceful and orderly transition of power following Donald Trump's election win. We're going to dig into more of his address to the nation as he prepares to welcome the man he once called a threat to democracy back into the White House. Plus, Trump and his transition team are already vetting potential candidates who could serve in his administration. We'll tell you who he just named to be his White House chief of staff and why he's weighing bringing in outsiders over elected officials into his new cabinet. Also ahead, we'll take a look at Trump's plan to carry out the largest deportation in US History, which he says must be done regardless of the financial price tag. Along with Joe, Willie and me, we have the host of way too Early White House bureau chief at Politico, Jonathan Lemire, president of the National Action Network and host of MSNBT's Politics Nation, Reverend Al Sharpton, editor in chief of the Economist, Zanni Minton Beddoes is here with us. And former Republican Congressman Carlos Curbello of Florida is with us as well. So, Jo, this morning we look back on the week that was and what's ahead.
- [03:11]
Mika Brzezinski
Well, and what's ahead not only for the United States, but also what's ahead for the world. I saw a piece in the Financial Times this morning, many people would say a poor man's economist, thank you so much for being with us. And it struck my attention on Francis Fukuyama talking about why exactly Donald Trump succeeded so well and why the Republicans swept at what Trump unleashed and what it means for America. But I thought that as you dug into it, it really talked about and Alex, I don't know, do we have the full screen on that or not?
- [03:53]
Joe Scarborough
I have it here.
- [03:54]
Zanny Minton Beddoes
Not quite yet.
- [03:55]
Joe Scarborough
Not quite yet. You can read it.
- [03:57]
Mika Brzezinski
Not quite yet. Well, it really, it went to Zanny, I'll go with you here. There's been an ongoing problem in America that I know, I'm sure you've been concerned about. I've been concerned about over the past 20, 30 years, the deindustrialization of the west, what that means for those that have been scattered in the job market, what it means, the distortions that it's caused to the economy. Whether it was. Well, here they've actually got the prompter. Let me read this and then have you respond. He writes, when Trump was first elected in 2016, it was easy to believe that the event was an aberration. He was running against a weak opponent who didn't take him seriously. And in any case, Trump didn't win the popular vote. When Biden won the White House four years later, it seemed as if things had snapped back to normal after a disastrous one term presidency. Tuesday's vote following it, and now seems that it was the Biden presidency that was the anomaly and that Trump is inaugurating a new era in US Politics and perhaps the world as a whole. Americans were voting with full knowledge of who Trump was and what he represented. But what is the underlying nature of this new phase of American history? Classical liberalism is a doctrine built around respect for the equal dignity of individuals through rule of law that protects their rights through constitutional checks and balances on the state's ability to interfere with those rights. But over the past half century, that basic impulse underwent two great distortions. The first was the rise of neoliberalism, an economic doctrine that sanctified markets and reduced the ability of governments to protect those hurt by economic change. The world got a lot richer in the aggregate, while the working class lost jobs and opportunity. Power shifted away from the places that hosted the original industrial revolution to Asia and other parts of the developing world. The second distortion was the rise of identity politics, or what one might call woke liberalism, in which progressive concerns for the working class was replaced by targeted protections for a narrower set of marginalized groups. Racial minorities, immigrants, sexual minorities and the like. State power increasingly was used not in the service of impartial justice, but rather to promote specific social outcomes for these groups. In the meantime, labor markets were shifting into an information economy. In a world which most workers sat in front of a computer screen rather than lifted heavy objects off factory floors, women experienced a more equal footing. This transformed power within households and led to the perception of a seemingly constant celebration of female achievement. The rise of these distortions understandings of liberalism drove a major shift in the social basis of political power. The working class felt that the left wing political parties were no longer defending their interests and began voting for parties of the right. Thus, the Democrats lost touch with their working class base and became a party dominated by educated urban professionals. The former chose to vote Republican and zanny. As I was reading this, I also saw the New York Times, I believe, a story yesterday that said the 10 richest people in the world made $64 billion. What was it, Alex? Last week, in an extraordinarily short amount, okay, Trump's victory adds a record $64 billion to the wealth of the richest top 10. While again the working class get poorer and poorer. And Democrats left of center groups have had no answer for this now for 30 years.
- [07:42]
Reverend Al Sharpton
So it's interesting, Joe, that Frank Fukuyama wrote that piece. He of course was the man who 30 years ago wrote an article famously in 1989 called the End of history. And he thought history had finished then. And my goodness, he was wrong. And I agree with him that this is now the end of what you might call the post war era of the world where the American led rules based order is definitely being challenged. And you could say as Frank Fukuyama said, perhaps first time around it was an aberration. Now it is absolutely not. Americans have voted very clearly for a very different conception of their economy and of their role in the world. What caused it? I think he touches on many of the important points. I don't think you can put this. It's partly a backlash against the economy. It's partly a backlash against, particularly the inflation of the last four years. If you look around the world, this has been a really bad year for incumbents. Incumbents have been turfed out in many countries, not just the US But I do think he's also right that there is a sense in many Americans that the United, that the Democrats have lost touch with ordinary Americans. And I think the social aspect has a lot to do with that. People don't feel that the Democrats are thinking of them. They think, they look down on them and they think they are the party of the elite. And that's a real problem for the Democrats.
- [08:57]
Willie Geist
And Carlos, importantly, out of this election, what we can read into these numbers is that I think it was long believed that white working class voters were by and large Trump supporters. But the coalition got so much broader over the last couple of years. And it showed itself in the vote on Tuesday night with Latino Americans, 45% going to Donald Trump, black young men, men going toward Donald Trump not overwhelmingly, but making moves in that direction. Young voters going toward Donald Trump. This was not just about white working class voters. This was something much bigger, a much broader coalition than most people realized.
- [09:36]
Derek Johnson
That's right, Willie. And I think part of the explanation is in what Joe just read, Democrats, it's been decades since Democrats speak to this country as one nation, as one American people. You know, it's always, we're going to do this for the Hispanics and we're going to do this for the African Americans and we're going to to do this with the LGBTQ community. And Donald Trump, you know, for all his flaws and of course a lot of his speech is objectionable, but he speaks to all Americans with the same message. And I think, you know, that's a big explanation here. I mean, people are looking for all these policy explanations. Well, which policies does Trump support that people like? It's really more about culture. It's really more about the way he addresses the country in an odd way, I think it's unifying. Whereas Democrats have really kind of fractionalized the country and tried to win all these different coalitions, I think that's over. I mean, this idea that Democrats have pushed for a couple decades, that demography is destiny, well, we can declare the death of that. I mean, we're in a new era now. And Democrats have to learn how to win in this new era.
- [10:45]
Mika Brzezinski
You know, Mika, Frank Bruni was, has also written an op ed today that we're going to be talking about. And he also talks about what Democrats missed and would talk about how Democrats would see the shocking things that Donald Trump would say on the campaign trail and they would think that was going to be what made the difference. Him rambling about Hannibal Lecter, him rambling about electric boats, him rambling about sharks, him rambling about going after Nancy Pelosi, going after Liz Cheney, all of these other things. And what Frank Bruni said is they weren't paying attention to it. Even the big things, they were paying attention to the debates.
- [11:22]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah.
- [11:23]
Mika Brzezinski
Said that a lot of people and a lot of Democrats looked at those big media events, those big political events, thinking that that would smudge over the reality of inflation and how much groceries cost and how much gas cost and how hard it was to get into a home. And Frank Bruni says Democrats never got it. While we were looking at all of the crazy things Donald Trump was saying on the campaign trail, all of the frightening things Donald Trump was saying on the campaign trail, they were looking at their wallet, they were looking what groceries cost, what gas costs, what rent costs. And none of that really penetrated. They're conscious when they went to vote.
- [12:05]
Zanny Minton Beddoes
Right.
- [12:05]
Joe Scarborough
It's, I think, hard for a hardworking American who's busy, who's got kids, who's got a lot of things to worry about, to even take a moment to comprehend Enemy from within or Hitler's generals or things that really seem very jarring to students of politics and American who do this for a living. But I agree it kind of washed over because I think if those comments were taken seriously, perhaps the results might have been a little different. And the comments are real and the history with Donald Trump is real. But I don't think the Democratic side was able to communicate that effectively or they over communicated on it as important as it was and left out other areas, left other areas for the Trump side to take. And then there was disinformation. President Elect Trump successfully harnessed the anger and frustration felt by millions of Americans and used it to score a decisive election victory. This is a new analysis by the New York Times. Finding how Trump won came down to one essential bet. That his grievances could meld with those of the MAGA movement and then with the Republican Party and then with more than half the country. His mugshot became a best selling shirt. His criminal conviction inspired $100 million in donations in one day. The images of him bleeding after a failed assassination attempt became the symbol of what supporters saw as a campaign of destiny. The paper continues at times, Mr. Trump could be so crude and self indulgent on the stomp that aides wondered if he were engaged in an absurdist experiment to test how much abhorrent behavior voters would tolerate. However, Trump tapped into the anger and frustration millions of voters felt, felt about some of the very institutions and systems he will soon control as the country's 47th president. Voters, unhappy with the nation's direction, turned him into a vessel for their rage. Reverend Dow, what do you make of that assessment?
- [14:30]
Carlos Curbelo
I think it's right on. I think that they hit the real reason that we are where we are, and that is that everyday people of all races that were suffering from economic insecurity, inflation and others felt they were not being addressed. And many of us kept warning that you can't have the Beltway intellectuals guide this. There were people in the campaign trying to fight back. Then young Moore, Leah Daughtre was telling them, wait a minute, you gotta listen to people. Trump was very, in a very crafty way saying, yes, but is too high. Yes, you're suffering. And they did it. Well, the other side was not saying why this was the case. Therefore, it was interpreted that you don't understand what I'm going through. And telling me about all this stuff that, that he's done doesn't answer the reason I'm in, the condition I'm in.
- [15:24]
Joe Scarborough
I saw them try, but I guess not enough.
- [15:26]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah, I mean, there are certainly similarities to what we saw in 2016 and now where there was just this anger that the elites were doing well, the rest of us were suffering. That's what the vote the bet was. And it was aftermath of the Great Recession and now the aftermath of the pandemic, resulting inflation. We're seeing leaders of democracies across the globe either lose jobs or at least be severely weakened in its aftermath. So, Sandy, your publication has a new piece which has the title welcome to Trump's World. The Economist writes in part this. In 2016, some people comforted themselves with the thought that Mr. Trump's presidency was an aberration. By choosing to overlook his attempts to stop the transfer of power to Mr. Biden in 2020, voters have shown how wrong that conclusion was. Instead, they have endorsed Mr. Trump's unbounded exploitation of partisanship as the basis of his politics, including the slander of his opponents as corrupt and treacherous. This has spread a cynicism and despair about the merits of government that may serve him, but will not serve America's democracy. MAGA is a movement of a cataclysm against the kind of benign internationalists who occupied the White House for 70 years. This week, a majority of voters embraced it with their eyes open. And Zane digging a little deeper on this. It's not just that we've all seen Trump's conduct in office with the impeachments and the insurrection, but also what he has pledged to do. Mass deportations, a crackdown on his enemies. And a majority of Americans looked around and said, yes, we'll take it.
- [17:02]
Joe Scarborough
This is what we want.
- [17:03]
Reverend Al Sharpton
They did. But I think I would frame it slightly different to the New York Times, which is. I think there was definitely amongst his core supporters, there's a sort of fanatical Trumpism in the belief in everything he does. I think many ordinary people, many Americans of all walks of life, when it wasn't necessarily rage, it was just they thought, actually, he says a whole bunch of things that I don't believe. The first term was pretty good. And on important things that matter to me, he actually is talking, they think, sense. On immigration, it is true that this government has failed to deal with the border until very recently. It's a real problem. He got it. He got the sense of that many people feel that the kind of culture wars and the left, the progressive slant of the Democratic Party is out of sync with Americans on gender, on trans issues, on all of that kind of stuff. And those, those were the ads that really went. And I think he taps into a sense, which is not more. It's not so much just a feeling of rage. It's a sense that people, Americans across the board, think that he is closer to them than Democrats are. But the reason we wrote this bigger picture editorial is that what is definitely clear is that his sense of America's role and what America should be doing in the world is very different than the last 70 years. This is a protectionist view. This is a view of much more akin to the 1930s. That's why I think this is a shift, really. We have to go back 70 years to see a shift like.
- [18:27]
Joe Scarborough
Right.
- [18:27]
Reverend Al Sharpton
And I would posit that the consequences for those of us who live outside America are going to be as alarming or more alarming. And I think that you can go around the world and see, and it's not surprising that foreign leaders were picking up the phone and tweeting out congratulations in sort of as fast as they could, because no one kind of knows what he's going to do. Everyone wants to get on his right side. Everyone knows he's transactional. He wants American strength. They don't Quite know what that means. And so they're trying to position themselves to get in his good books. And actually, I think, and this may surprise you, he may not be as bad, for example, for Ukraine as many people think. And I was very struck in our reporting this week. My colleague based in Kiev wrote an excellent piece that suggests senior people in Kiev were rather hoping for a Trump victory because they were so fed up of the sort of self denial and timidity of the Biden administration that they felt, you know, they weren't getting the weaponry that they needed. There was a sense that there was so much worry in Washington right now about escalation by Trump, by Putin. So I think we're just, it's like the whole post war order has been thrown up, shaken up. And you know, we spoke last week and I said, when we wrote our endorsement leader, I said it may be that we'll get through this and it'll be like Trump won. And my goodness, I hope that's right. I just, the risks were too high for me, which is why we were worried about it. I just hope these tail risks don't come to pass and that we actually get. There are some good things that could come of this. I know it's hard to, yeah, it's hard for you to think about that right now. But there are, there are areas that could be deregulation, I think is there is a huge amount that he could do good things that he could do. There are good things that could be done in foreign policy. We just have to hope they get done and the risks aren't. And I think rather than I'm trying to look forward and I'm trying to look positive about it. And I think that at the moment it's just up in the air and.
- [20:14]
Joe Scarborough
What Trump we get to see where it lands. And as we're looking back, Willie, to Zenny's point, Joe had been mentioning those ads, those misleading trans ads that they spent I think $30 million on and were airing just everywhere, especially in front of football audiences. And made a difference.
- [20:33]
Willie Geist
Yeah, no question about it. We've talked about that. Those broke through and that showed up in the exit polling. So is the Democratic Party now shatter picks up the pieces and tries to evaluate what exactly happened. President Biden, who of course stepped aside from the race back in July, addressed the nation yesterday for the first time since Vice President Kamala Harris lost the election to Donald Trump. Speaking from the White House, Biden emphasized the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and urged Americans to unite over Their love of the country.
- [21:03]
Mika Brzezinski
The people vote and choose their own leaders, and they do it peacefully. And we're in a democracy. The will of the people always prevails. Yesterday, I spoke with President Elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory. And I assured him that I'd direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That's what the American people deserve. I will do my duty as president. I'll fulfill my oath, and I will honor the Constitution. On January 20th, we'll have a peaceful transfer of power here in America. I know for some people, it's a time for victory, to state the obvious. For others, it's a time of loss. Campaigns are contests of competing visions. A country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country made. I've said many times, you can't love.
- [22:08]
Carlos Curbelo
Your country only when you win.
- [22:11]
Mika Brzezinski
You can't love your neighbor only when you agree. Something I hope we can do, no matter who you voted for, is see each other not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans. Bring down the temperature. I also hope we can later rest a question about the integrity of the American electoral system. It is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted. Win or lose, setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable. We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character, as my dad would say, is how quickly we get back up. Remember, a defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling.
- [23:08]
Carlos Curbelo
For you to get back up.
- [23:11]
Mika Brzezinski
That's the story of America for over 240 years and counting. It's a story for all of us, not just some of us. The American experiment endures. We're going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going, and above.
- [23:32]
Carlos Curbelo
All, we need to keep the faith.
- [23:36]
Willie Geist
Carlos, the president talking about the peaceful transfer of power. It is worth noting a quick concession the next day from Kamala Harris. Clear what the result was, not clear. If the margins had been the same the other way, that we'd be talking right now about a peaceful transfer of power, but no question about who won this race. So let's talk about the blame game that's going on among Democrats. I'm sure you're hearing it as we all are, from sources and some of it spilling out into the public, some saying, well, if Joe Biden had gotten out earlier, allowed for a real primary process, it would have tested the candidate, would have introduced a candidate. Perhaps it would have been someone different from Kamala Harris. Everybody has the answer this morning. After such a wipeout on Tuesday, what is your sense of what could have been done differently? Immaterial at this point as now Democrats need to look forward and figure out how they win again.
- [24:27]
Derek Johnson
Well, real quick, Willie, first on both Vice President Harris speech and President Biden's speech, they delivered the speeches, the message that the country needed at this time. And you really have to tip your hat to them. I think that was one of Joe Biden's best speeches in months, maybe even in years. So the nation should be grateful for that tone and for that attitude. That's what my dad used to always say about this country and how it was different from Latin American countries where our families came from. Americans fight and then they embrace after the fight. Hopefully we can get back on track in terms of what Democrats could have done differently, what Vice President Harris could have done differently. I don't think in the hundred days that she had to campaign, she could have addressed the structural challenges that Democrats faced and which delivered another victory to Donald Trump, a significant victory. I do think that looking back at the Biden Harris administration and their four years in office, I think when Americans picked Joe Biden In 2020, they wanted someone to heal the country. They wanted someone to bridge the political gap, the divide. And I do think in that sense they did not succeed. And when you look at the right track, wrong track, numbers in polls, I think it really does confirm that. I think President Biden really had an opportunity perhaps to decide he was going to be a one term president from the beginning. He kind of alluded to that during his campaign in 2020 and try to bridge the political gap and really lower the temperature in this country. But despite some bipartisan victories in Congress, you know, you look at the polling, you look at how people feel and they did not succeed in healing the country the way I think Americans were looking for them to do in 2020. Trying to turn the page on what was a very chaotic Trump presidency, although.
- [26:17]
Jonathan Lemire
Certainly Trump didn't exit the stage and continued to feed into that tumult and divide.
- [26:23]
Mika Brzezinski
Rev.
- [26:23]
Jonathan Lemire
I mean, it was remarkable that President Biden yesterday, he has deemed Donald Trump a threat to the democracy, but yet he committed, of course, the peaceful transfer of power. That is what the American experiment is supposed to be about. There's a lot, as you've heard it, a lot of finger pointing behind the scenes right now between the Biden camp, between the Harris camp, some believing that had President Biden stepped away after the midterms per se, things could have been different. There could have been an open primary process, maybe resulting in a better chance for Democrats to win. But let's remember President Biden at the time, two successful legislative years, a strong State of the Union, that would have been a tall order. But the election results show this isn't just a Biden or Harris problem. The Democrats have a party problem. Republicans want around the clock.
- [27:00]
Carlos Curbelo
No, I think that that is really what the Democratic Party has to face. They have an existential problem, which is why I commended some that have been inside fighting, saying that, like Lee and others saying, you gotta get back to real people. Real people are suffering and Trump is the only one blaming something. So they go for that. Cuz we're not identifying. Yes, you're suffering. These things led to that. And I think that the Democratic Party has to really deal with listening to some of the people in the party that is trying to reconnect them to their, to their roots, what they stood for.
- [27:35]
Joe Scarborough
I think that's fair. But I think we have to, we have to factor in massive disinformation as well.
- [27:40]
Carlos Curbelo
Absolutely.
- [27:41]
Joe Scarborough
We can't just pretend Democrats.
- [27:42]
Carlos Curbelo
But you have to answer the disinformation. I hear you.
- [27:45]
Joe Scarborough
I totally agree with that. Former Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo and editor in chief of the Economist, Zanni Minton Beddoes, thank you both very much for being on this morning. We really appreciate it. And still ahead on MORNING joe, new reporting about how some Republicans are already looking to scale back. A few of President elect Trump's more expensive economic proposals, plus betting on who would become the next president surged in the final weeks ahead of the election. And for some who put their money on Trump, the gamble paid off. We'll talk about the impact of that Next on Morning Joe. We're back in 90 seconds.
- [28:37]
Zanny Minton Beddoes
This podcast is supported by Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Planned Parenthood Federation of America exists so all people can get access to the sexual and reproductive care and education they need. Planned Parenthood organizations advocate for health equity and policies that allow people the freedom to control their own bodies, lives and futures. More than 2 million patients a year rely on Planned Parenthood health center services like STI testing and treatment, birth control, gender affirming care, abortion, cancer screenings and more. Reproductive health care and rights are under attack from public officials who are out of step with the will of the vast majority of Americans. The constitutional right to abortion has been stolen and politicians in 47 states have introduced bills that would block people from getting the sexual and reproductive care care they need. Planned Parenthood knows that equitable access to health care, including safe, legal abortion, is a human right. Right now, Planned Parenthood needs your help to protect access to health care. Donate today by visiting plannedparenthood.org protect.
- [29:39]
Joe Scarborough
Nice ride.
- [29:40]
Willie Geist
It's Toyota's all electric SUV, the BZ4X.
- [29:43]
Joe Scarborough
You're saying this thing runs on just electricity?
- [29:45]
Willie Geist
I mean, it's called all electric.
- [29:47]
Joe Scarborough
I thought it's called the BZ4X.
- [29:48]
Mika Brzezinski
It is.
- [29:49]
Jonathan Lemire
And it's all electric.
- [29:50]
Zanny Minton Beddoes
The all electric Toyota BZ4X. Gifting is hard, but here's a hint. Give the gift of connection from US Cellular. Not sure what that means. Here's a slightly more specific hint. You can choose four free phones and get four lines for $90 a month from US Cellular. Your family wants new phones. How do we know? They told us. The good news is that compared to wrapping presents, you're great at getting hints. So take the hint and get them four free phones and four lines for $90 a month. U.S. cellular built for us.
- [30:27]
Willie Geist
This morning, NBC News is projecting President elect Donald Trump officially now has won the state of Nevada and its six electoral votes. This marks the first time a Republican has won that state since 2004. Trump campaigned frequently in Las Vegas promoting his no tax on tip pledge, where a significant number of residents worked for tipped wages. With the Nevada win, Trump's total electoral vote now stands at 301. Arizona now remains the last state yet to be called. Jonathan Lemire. Donald Trump leading comfortably now in Arizona as well. That's 11 electoral votes. We'll put him up to 312. So basically, Donald Trump should sit at 312. And you have a few of these outstanding Senate races that have yet to be called as well. But we can stop now and say for all the talk over these months and months about those seven battleground states, with Arizona still outstanding, it looks almost certain that he will sweep all seven of those states.
- [31:26]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah, Trump's going to run the table here, which is truly striking. He'll end up with more electoral votes than he did in 2016. We already know that he is on pace to win the popular vote this time around, something that a Republican presidential candidate has not done since 2004. Now, there are a few things still hanging in the balance. The Democrats did get some good news in the Senate. Elissa Slotkin narrowly going to win in Michigan. Tammy Baldwin narrowly going to hang onto her seat there in Wisconsin. Nothing projected yet, but we have leads for Senator Rosen in Nevada as well as Ruben Gallagher, the congressman in Arizona. Pennsylvania, though, might go the other way. It appears that Senator Casey might lose his seat there to Dave McCormick. And it leads us, Willie, to like an interesting dynamic here of ticket splitting where we have a number of Democratic Senate candidates who still manage to win. Wisconsin and Michigan has already happened. Nevada and Arizona, Mika, seem likely. Pennsylvania, the only exception to the rule. But where this leaves us is Donald Trump. Republicans will have the presidency, they will have the Senate and by enough of a margin they don't always need the votes of Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. Republicans who were willing to def Trump in the past. They're going to be able to do it without them. And the House has not yet been called. There are still paths for Democrats to win, but that path is very narrow. It looks like Republicans will get the House and have a clean sweep.
- [32:49]
Joe Scarborough
So the FBI is investigating reports of racist text messages sent to black Americans after the presidential election. NBC News correspondent Zinclay Essamois has the latest. Corinne Freeman was at home with her kids on Wednesday when she got a text from a number she didn't recognize.
- [33:10]
Reverend Al Sharpton
It was this odd, ominous feeling text message, basically saying, hello, you've been selected.
- [33:17]
Willie Geist
To be a slave on a plantation.
- [33:19]
Reverend Al Sharpton
And you're scheduled to get picked up on at 12am on November 13th.
- [33:24]
Joe Scarborough
How did it feel when you got that text message?
- [33:27]
Reverend Al Sharpton
Well, I was immediately disturbed.
- [33:30]
Zanny Minton Beddoes
And she's not alone.
- [33:31]
Joe Scarborough
Social media sites have been flooded with people from New York to Florida who.
- [33:35]
Zanny Minton Beddoes
Say they've got gotten these racist messages.
- [33:37]
Joe Scarborough
Freeman and others believe the texts may have been sparked by the current political climate.
- [33:42]
Reverend Al Sharpton
I think that this is intentional to scare people of color, black people, into a reality that we don't want to go back to.
- [33:50]
Joe Scarborough
The wording of the texts appear to differ. Some have misspellings, others address individuals by name. But the theme is consistent, telling recipients they've been selected to pick cotton. All of the people NBC News spoke to who got these messages are black. Several universities confirmed their students have reported receiving the texts. Clemson says they came from numbers associated with online spoofing sites. It remains unclear who is behind the messages. TextNow, which offers free phone numbers online, tells NBC News at least one of its accounts may be involved, writing in a statement in part, we do not tolerate or condone the use of our service to send harassing or spam messages, adding they shut down the accounts and are working with authorities for recipients like.
- [34:34]
Zanny Minton Beddoes
Corrine Freeman, the digital hate is fueling.
- [34:37]
Joe Scarborough
Her real world concerns.
- [34:38]
Zanny Minton Beddoes
I am overwhelmed with anxiety and fear.
- [34:42]
Reverend Al Sharpton
About how I'm going to help My children make sense of the world that they have to navigate as black children.
- [34:51]
Joe Scarborough
NBC's Zin Clay Ess with that report. And joining us now, the president and CEO of the naacp, Derek Johnson. I guess we'll start there and then broaden out. What do you make of these text messages and what's it signifying in terms of what's to come?
- [35:09]
Carlos Curbelo
Well, not surprising if you can recall when Trump was in office before, we seen an increase in racial hate crimes in one week alone. Attacks on Latinos in El Paso, African Americans in Louisville and the Jewish community in Pittsburgh just in a one week span with mass shootings. And so we are not surprised that this is taking place. And unfortunately we are in for four years of this.
- [35:31]
Joe Scarborough
Rev your take?
- [35:33]
Carlos Curbelo
Well, we must remember in the four years that Donald Trump was president, that is when George Floyd happened. That's when Breonna Taylor happened. That's when Ahmaud Arbery probably three of the most memorable racial cases of our time and he said nothing as president. He went in front of a church and lectured the protesters, holding up a Bible. And I think that as Derek, as we started getting calls at National Action Network and I know you overwhelmed yesterday about these text messages, it brings back this whole feeling of our community under siege. And you've got to remember Trump just a couple of weeks ago said, well, some slavery could have stayed in. These people are being emboldened and feel empowered with the reelection of Donald Trump. And I think that that message didn't get through even to some young black men because of the anxiety of the economic woes we were dealing with. Yeah, you know, in terms of the election itself, the Democratic business model is dysfunctional. It's a diminishing return on investment. They emphasize nationalizing the campaign on media buys and they don't spend enough time on the doors. They don't empower local and state actors. They're not expanding the pie. And so what we have seen over the last 15 plus years is the same playbook and we're getting diminishing returns. VP her execution of this campaign was flawless. She did exactly what she was supposed to do. Absolutely. But when I got to Pennsylvania when I was in Atlanta, I realized some gaps there that the people who were working in the campaign that was hired before the VP was in place, they were disconnected from the communities. If African Americans were reliable voting bloc. But we have to be persuaded. We have to mobilized. And the model they use is mobilization only and not persuasion. The median age of our community is 32 years old. Think about that. A significant number of individuals, they didn't grow up looking at broadcast news, they didn't grow up looking at cable news. They grew up looking at social media platforms. That's unregulated, full of mis and disinformation. And so we have to communicate with them differently.
- [37:43]
Joe Scarborough
Nailed it.
- [37:43]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah, no question there. So let's talk big picture. Where does the party go from here? I mean certainly Donald Trump tried to court black voters this time around, didn't actually end up having much success. He had major inroads though with the Latino population. But what you so many voters on the trail though, and rev, you've attested to this is there are so many members of the black community who just feel like their vote has been taken for granted. They just, they show up every, you know, the candidate shows up every four years. So how could, what's kind of, how can that fundamental dynamic change? How can they feel more included, more part of the process?
- [38:13]
Carlos Curbelo
One, the black vote should not be taken for granted. We need to have a conversation with the black community and there's a persuasion conversation. Two, the consultant class gotta be pushed back because they're controlling multibillion dollar campaigns with no real accountability. A lot of self dealings. And so what you find is no infrastructure between elections, individuals being grossly enriched and the candidates can be perfect. And what happens is regardless of the candidate, the infrastructure is still in place. And that goes back 15, 20 years. And it's frustrating to say the least I can imagine.
- [38:48]
Joe Scarborough
President and CEO of the naacp, Derek Johnson. Thank you. I'm so sorry. Still ahead, we'll speak with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Bob Woodward on a look ahead to the domestic and global issues Donald Trump will inherit when he returns to the White House. Plus, Jim Vande Hei of Axios will join the conversation with his new piece behind the Curtain, Deep Democratic Depression. And he'll lay out why he says Democrats lost so badly. Also ahead, Emmy award winning actor Jason Sudeikis will be a guest to discuss his annual fundraising event. Thundergong Morning Joe. We'll be right back.
- [39:33]
Willie Geist
Chase lined up to the right side. Looks that way, throws that way.
- [39:40]
Mika Brzezinski
Car chase.
- [39:43]
Reverend Al Sharpton
What a knife.
- [39:45]
Joe Scarborough
Touchdown.
- [39:45]
Willie Geist
What a grab. Joe Burrow's third touchdown pass to Jamar Chase sets up the Cincinnati Bengals late in the game for a game winning two point attempt against against. The Ravens decide not to tie it and play overtime. They're going for the win with under a minute. But Burrows throw on that two point try, falls incomplete. After officials appear to miss two blatant penalties committed by Baltimore during the play, a hold on tight end Mike Jasicki and what looked like roughing the passer on Burrow. At least that hold though for sure. The Ravens come away with the win after quarterback Lamar Jackson was absolutely brilliant. The MVP leads getting Baltimore back from a 14 point deficit, finishing with four touchdown passes, three of them coming in that fourth quarter rally. Ravens beat the Bengals 35 to 34. Jonathan Lemire what a display of quarterback play from Lamar Jackson, but also from Joe Burrow who threw for four touchdowns, 428 yards including those three to Jamar Chase. Some people will question why the Bengals went for two. I like it. You're on the road. Go for the win. Clearly your defense hasn't been stopping Lamar Jackson in that fourth quarter.
- [40:55]
Jonathan Lemire
Totally agree with the call to go for two and the win there on the road. More coaches should do that. I was frustrated a week ago when the Patriots did not when they tied the game up in the last second. Yeah, in a year where offense has kind of been down this year in the league and quarterback play has not been that great. Man, what an exception last night. Both Lamar and Burrow. Fantastic. And Willie, you and I have talked a lot about how our respective NFL teams, the Patriots and Giants, have given us nothing to cheer for this year. So therefore we've shifted solely our focus to fantasy football. I'll just note my team has both Lamar Jackson and Jamar Chase, so no between two players. 88 points last night. So I like my chances this week if nothing else.
- [41:35]
Willie Geist
That is unbelievable. Congrats to you. Also exciting, John. 9:30. I know you and the kids will be glued to the TV. 9:30am on Sunday. We are exporting the Giants and the Panthers to Munich, which seems unfair and an act of diplomacy.
- [41:51]
Jonathan Lemire
Sunday today. Sunday today. Giants Panthers. Already Trump is disrupting the international order by sending the worst football game we could imagine to Europe.
- [42:01]
Willie Geist
Oh my God. I guess I'll watch. I don't know. We'll see. Meanwhile, LSU has a huge game tomorrow night against Alabama and reportedly for inspiration, we'll have a live tiger in the stadium tomorrow night in Death Valley. Viber tradition stopped nearly a decade ago because of concerns over animal safety. They used to have the tiger on the sideline. No, a state senator telling the Louisiana illuminator the live tiger set to attend the game will not be the 8 year old tiger who became LSU's mascot in 2017 and lives in an enclosure across from the stadium. They have a tiger who lives outside the basketball arena at lsu. According to wbrz a different Tiger brought in from out of state from a refuge will assume the mascot role for tomorrow's game. So, John, reviving a tradition in what effectively, by the way, is an elimination game, Alabama and lsu, both with two losses, loser of this game is not making the playoff.
- [42:59]
Jonathan Lemire
Again, norms falling apart, Tiger on the sidelines. But yeah, I mean, this is to your point, this is something that they used to do. They stopped for safety concerns. Apparently those safety concerns aren't valid anymore. But you're right, it's a huge game. Even with the expanded playoff format here, we're seeing the current top 12. It'll be 12 teams that make it.
- [43:18]
Willie Geist
Yeah.
- [43:18]
Jonathan Lemire
These teams can't afford another loss. So, Mika, it seems, though, you have registered some objections to Tiger being.
- [43:24]
Joe Scarborough
No, that's going to be, that's not sentimental abuse. So coming up, Russian President Vladimir Putin is now commenting on America's presidential election. We'll tell you what he's saying about Donald Trump's victory just ahead on MORNING job.
- [43:40]
Zanny Minton Beddoes
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