MSNBC host Joe Scarborough once again slammed observers who charged he was supportive of Donald Trump during his Republican primary run, calling them "stupid" on Wednesday.
"There are a lot of stupid people in political circles, who have watched this show and who have seen us predicting Donald Trump’s success, suggesting that somehow means that we supported him and enabled him from the very beginning," Scarborough said on Morning Joe. "No, all we said was, before almost anybody else did, that the guy was going to win the Republican nomination."
Scarborough maintained he had said from the start he would not support Trump because of such measures like his proposed Muslim ban and admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski were criticized for being too cozy with the billionaire during his surprising run to the GOP nomination, and the pair angrily hit back at their critics on the show numerous times.
However, a hot mic caught the trio talking like old friends during a commercial break for a town hall. Scarborough has personally offered Trump debate advice, and the business mogul has enjoyed long, wide-ranging phone-ins to the show throughout the primary. NBC insiders fretted about Morning Joe being too friendly to Trump during the primary.
Scarborough’s consistent line was that people were confusing his prescience about Trump’s success with support for his policies.
Trump himself thanked Scarborough and Brzezinski for being "supporters" during a jubilant interview the morning after he won the New Hampshire primary.
There has been a dramatic shift in tone since Trump won the nomination, however. The duo has taken to repeatedly castigating Republicans who are supporting Trump throughout his controversial campaign. Scarborough went so far as to call Trump a "bush-league loser" and "bigot" in one rant.