Joe Scarborough didn’t hold back Thursday as he tore into Democrats for their refusal to tackle key issues that are driving voters away from the party, particularly in swing states. On Morning Joe, the host excoriated the Democratic establishment for being “afraid to offend” a “small fraction” of their base and failing to respond decisively to Donald Trump’s campaign ads targeting transgender issues and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Scarborough pulled no punches in criticizing Democrats for their weak response to the Trump campaign’s focus on cultural issues that resonate with working-class voters. He noted that while Democrats made some moves on critical issues like immigration, they failed to go far enough or present a clear, bold vision.
“They were too reluctant to address what mattered most to Americans,” Scarborough said, highlighting how the Trump campaign successfully capitalized on the Democrats’ silence on issues like illegal immigration, border security, and cultural policies that are hitting home with everyday voters. “There was no definitive plan on the things that people care about — like border control, crime, and the economy. Those issues matter to Hispanic, Black, and working-class voters.”
Scarborough’s criticism was particularly sharp in regard to the Trump campaign’s ad blitz targeting Harris over transgender issues. According to data from PBS, roughly 41% of the Trump campaign’s ad spend between October 7 and October 20 focused on this very issue. Scarborough pointed to the fact that Democrats were too “afraid to respond” to these ads, even though they were clearly effective.
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In a Financial Times article, one voter expressed frustration, saying, “They don’t understand my life.” The piece highlighted how the Trump campaign invested millions in ads that made transgender issues a central focus in the final stretch of the race. One particularly striking ad read: “Kamala is for ‘they/them.’ Trump is for you.”
Deb Dassow, chair of the Democratic Party in Ozaukee County — a conservative stronghold in the Milwaukee suburbs that swung to Trump in the last election — noted that these ads had a powerful, unsettling effect on voters. “The ads on transgender issues struck a nerve with people,” Dassow remarked, emphasizing how the campaign’s messaging was hitting home in places where cultural concerns often outweigh party affiliation.
“I mean, you don’t have to be a Republican, though I was a Republican. You don’t have to be a conservative, though I was a conservative, to understand that seeing ad after ad in NFL football games, saying that taxpayers were going to be funding transgender surgeries for inmates, it’s not something that is going to play well in Wisconsin, in Michigan, in Pennsylvania, among men,” Scarborough said.
“Yet, they didn’t respond to it because they were afraid to respond to it, because it might offend some small subset of their base,” he continued. “The thing is, nobody is saying to be anything but kind to all Americans. This just had to do with responding to the ad and saying: ‘Hey, wait a second, that was Donald Trump’s policy that they’re attacking.’”
“But they wouldn’t even do that because, again, they’re afraid to offend. Always afraid to offend. Always afraid to offend on border security. Always afraid to offend on so many other issues and they have lost working class America. The question is, how long until they understand that this isn’t just about tax cuts, this isn’t just about economics, this is about cultural markers that matter greatly in these people’s lives?”
Watch the segment below:
After getting absolutely dominated last night in the election, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough admits that wokeness and pushing the trans agenda killed the Democrats electorally. pic.twitter.com/Iss0li59VM
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) November 6, 2024
