Lefty MSNBC host Joe Scarborough — who drew brutal criticism for his Mar-a-Lago visit last year — revealed that he called President Trump to offer his condolences after Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
During his “Morning Joe” show Thursday, Scarborough said he gave the president a call on Wednesday night because he knew Trump was close to the slain 31-year-old conservative activist.
“We talk to the president from time to time. I certainly spoke with the president after Butler, Pa., to call and offer my condolences and I did the same thing last night because I knew he was close to Charlie,” Scarborough said.
“He said Charlie was a great man, he talked about how he was a singular talent for this time, especially for the conservative movement. And President Trump even talked about how Charlie Kirk played a huge role in helping him get elected — the voter registration drives, going to college campuses.”
Kirk, founder of conservative organization Turning Point USA, was fatally shot during a university event in Utah on Wednesday.
An outspoken supporter of Trump, Kirk attended the president’s inauguration in January — reportedly visiting his Mar-a-Lago estate just a few days beforehand.
He was also a close friend of Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr., who said in a social media post on Wednesday that Kirk “was like a little brother to me.”
Kirk was a prominent figure for young, conservative men — touring liberal college campuses across the country with Turning Point and engaging in debates with attendees.
“You know before the election we were talking about how Republicans were depending on young men to get out to the election. And, you know, that hardly ever happens,” Scarborough said Thursday.
“It’s usually you focus on older voters to get out to the polls and vote — high-propensity voters. Younger men, college students were always lower-propensity voters.”
“After the election, people stood back and were shocked. So why did this happen? Well, Donald Trump explained last night, one of the reasons that happened was because of Charlie Kirk.”
Scarborough’s phone call comes after he and his co-anchor and wife, Mika Brzezinski, faced harsh backlash following their headline-making visit to his Mar-a-Lago residence after the 2024 election.
Viewers had argued it was hypocritical to meet with Trump after the MSNBC hosts had harshly criticized him throughout his campaign.
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s “Andy Cohen Live,” Brzezinski said the pair have kept in contact with Trump, arguing that maintaining relationships with political figures is necessary for their reporting.
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