Morning Joe stars recently kicked off the morning with a defense of President Joe Biden over “right-wing media” attacks from “Trumpy outlets.” They said that the outlets falsely claim Biden fell asleep during his trip to disaster-torn Hawaii.
A video clip has emerged on social media that showed the president nodding off during a memorial service, but as Mediaite’s Colby Hall reported, the longer clip makes clear this was not the case — the president bowed his head briefly during a moving portion of the speech via Media Ite.
New video from Maui visit appears to show Joe Biden dozing in and out of sleep. pic.twitter.com/JdoBG6qfpu
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) August 22, 2023
On Wednesday morning’s edition of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough and his co-hosts blasted the right and “Trumpy outlets” for promoting the misleading video as a way to take attention away from ex-President Donald Trump’s problems:
“MIKA BRZEZINSKI: To Hawaii and the video that the far right is obsessed with.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: This is crazy. You know, Willie, we’re looking at the headlines from the local papers. Now, if you were following right-wing media yesterday and even if you weren’t, if you just a lot of it was reaching out and pulling you into your smartphones, you would think that everybody in Maui was angry with Joe Biden, that Joe Biden was having a siesta during every. I know this is going to shock you. It was all garbage!
You look at the local newspapers, you look at the local reports, you listen to the local people. These aren’t Democratic operatives. It was the Maui newspaper. Everybody in these newspapers glowing coverage, thanking the president for being there, saying it made such a difference that he and Jill were so empathetic. They were so giving. They gave them hope. And again, just read the papers.
And it’s the same thing with this. Joe Biden is sleeping deal. You actually look at the longer the longer video. He coughs. He bows his head like the woman next to him. He takes like four deep breaths, like he’s trying to catch his breath. We don’t know why. Maybe he was moved. And then he’s like, nodding, looks up. And yet the screaming headline says “Biden’s sleeping! Biden’s sleeping! Biden’s sleeping!”
He coughs. And now look at this. Okay. He goes down. He’s been traveling a lot. Look at this. He takes one to catch in his breath. By the way, the lady next to him several times, head bowed too is very moving. And, you know, he’s listening to the speaker. He goes, yes, he raises his head. Oh, my God. It’s the end of the world as we know it. The only thing, Willie, the only thing that we can thank God for is that Joe Biden was not wearing a tan suit because then would’ve been a total meltdown on the floor. Right. But I will tell you, the people of Maui and again, read, read the local coverage. Don’t listen to the lies on Trumpy outlets. Read the local coverage. All incredibly positive.
WILLIE GEIST: Wearing a tan suit or perhaps even riding a bicycle. Even worse, Joe, that could have been big news as well. If you’re watching this this morning, you have no idea what we’re talking about. It’s because you live in the rational world where this was an insignificant moment, not a controversial one anyway.
But you’re right, it was on certain news outlets and by prominent host tweeting out the video and saying, what’s wrong with the president?
Watch the video and listen to the video. What’s going on? They’re talking about all the people who died, at least 100 with more than 800 missing in Maui. And he’s bowed his head in that moment in some kind of reflection, as you say, with other people there.
So this has become and if this is supposed to be the what about ism for everything that’s happening to Donald Trump right now, where he’s going to turn himself in tomorrow in his latest indictment in Atlanta, if this is supposed to be the what about ism? Yeah, that stuff is going on. But look at this. Joe Biden bowed his head for 20 seconds at a ceremony in Hawaii. It’s pretty weak sauce, if that’s what you’re looking at.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Well, and again, they cut clips short. They get it just when he’s bowing his head, there’s no context. And you’re right. It’s the whataboutism.
Yes, Donald Trump may have tried to steal elections. He may have tried to destroy democracy. He may have unleashed an angry mob to beat the hell out of Capitol Hill cops. He may have stolen nuclear secrets. He may have done it. But look at Joe Biden. He’s so old. He’s so old because he bowed as if, you know, we’ve all been to ceremonies where we’re moved where and I would guess a guy who’s actually lost three family members, close family members, you know, we’ve he, we’ve seen him get emotional before. And my God, yet again, the fact this is not about that. This is about the reaction where, like you said, Mika, it’s this whataboutism. It’s Hunter Biden’s laptop, it’s Hunter Biden, it’s Joe Biden falls asleep. It’s Joe Biden falls off of a bicycle.
It is all so shallow. It is all so stupid and it is all they have.”
