A week after clashing with regular Morning Joe panelist Michael Steele, Joe Scarborough again got into a heated debate with a guest on Wednesday’s (January 15) episode, leading to co-host Mika Brzezinski interrupting him and throwing to a commercial break.
This most recent back-and-forth involved Financial Times columnist and Morning Joe regular Ed Luce, whom Scarborough described as “a very good friend.” The pair debated President Joe Biden‘s final days in office and his cognitive capabilities, with Scarborough arguing that Biden still seemed up for the role when he interviewed him from the White House.
“Did he occasionally jumble a few words or a few names? Yes,” Scarborough said, per RawStory.com. “But he corrected those as well. So after two, two and a half, three hours of it with him in the White House, going all over the White House, I did not see that.”
Luce responded that that wasn’t the reaction of foreign leaders he spoke with, adding, “I think that people, you know, who are getting older and have waning energy and vitality can go in and out. They can have strong moments; they can have weak moments.”
He noted that the “key thing” was “the debate last June occurred several days after Biden had been traveling and wasn’t considered to be shocking by a lot of the people I know in various circles around the White House, that that was the performance that reflected Biden’s mental powers at the time. So I think the American public had it right.”
Scarborough cut Luce off, saying, “I’m sorry, wait, wait, I’ve got to interrupt you again. And, again, you and I are very good friends, but I’ve got to stop you right there. I’ve had in-depth conversations with people in the White House before, during, and after who are still trying to figure out what happened that night.”
The pair were referencing the 2024 presidential debate between Biden and Donald Trump that was held on June 27, 2024, on CNN. Biden faced criticism for his performance, where he jumbled his words and appeared to lose his train of thought. This led directly to his decision to withdraw from the presidential race just a month later.
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“Joe, I’m not making stuff up here,” Luce replied. “I talk to people who know Biden as well, and I can assure you, I had many conversations over the previous couple of years about his declining energy, his declining memory, his increasingly short daily schedule to accommodate his declining memory and energy. So, you know, I’m not pulling this out of thin air.”
A frustrated Scarborough again interjected, saying, “No! We’re not saying that.”
However, before he could continue, Brzezinksi cut the conversation short. “Let me interrupt again,” she said. “We’re going to keep you here and continue this conversation after a quick break because I think one of the answers is that two things can be true at the same time, but let’s take a quick break.”
On Friday’s (January 10) episode of Morning Joe, Scarborough and Steele got into it after the latter challenged the argument that people should “be civil” to Trump as he prepares to return to the White House.
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