The hosts of MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” slammed President Trump’s warning that the Kennedy Center could be “ripped down” without his help, calling his veiled threats “extortion.”
“‘Put my name on monuments or I’m going to tear down the cultural landmark of Washington, D.C.’ Boy, that’s a great message to send to American voters right before an election,” host Joe Scarborough said of Trump’s stance on the Kennedy Center, adding, “It’s literally hard to believe that the American president would ever do something like this.”
On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the Kennedy Center from placing Trump’s name on its building or grounds. Speaking with reporters this week, Trump said that his administration deserves recognition because only he has the power to fix the Center’s renovation and financial problems. “If we don’t do that, it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down,” Trump said.
“This is clearly in the works — that he will knock that building down if they don’t put his name on it. This is extortion,” “Morning Joe” co-host Jonathan Lemire said. “The administration is gambling, as they did with the ballroom, [that] if they move fast enough, they get ahead of the courts. Nothing can stop them.”
“So put his name on the building or he knocks down the premier cultural institution in America’s capital named after its slain, martyred leader,” Scarborough recapped. You can watch the “Morning Joe” segment yourself below.
Scarborough continued to express his frustration and befuddlement over Trump’s obsession with getting his name on the Kennedy Center, especially at a time when so many Americans are financially struggling.
“You look at this and you just wonder what voters are thinking about the fact that their gas prices are costing more and Donald Trump’s worried about the Reflecting Pool,” Scarborough said. “Diesel is up to $6 a gallon. Donald Trump wants to build a grand arch. Grocery prices are just out of control. All the Trump voters that were like, ‘Butter costs too much, Joe Buttercup.’ Oh, really? Well, how much does everything cost now?”
“I mean, gas prices, healthcare prices, grocery prices, diesel prices,” the “Morning Joe” host continued. “They’re all going up, and he wants to tear down the Kennedy Center because they won’t put his name on it?”
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