“We have known Mr. Trump for more than a decade and have some fond memories of our relationship together,” the MSNBC hosts wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post. “But that hasn’t stopped us from criticising his abhorrent behaviour or worrying about his fitness.”
The President had criticised the journalists’ coverage of him in a tweetstorm the day before, referring to them as “low I.Q. Crazy Mika,” and “Psycho Joe”. He also accused the pair of “insisting” on joining him at his South Florida estate around New Year’s Eve, adding that Ms Brzezinski was “bleeding badly from a face-lift” at the time.
The tweets set off a chorus of condemnation from politicians on either side of the aisle – and from Ms Brzezinski and Mr Scarborough themselves.
“America’s leaders and allies are asking themselves yet again whether this man is fit to be president,” they wrote. “We have our doubts, but we are both certain that the man is not mentally equipped to continue watching our show.”
The journalists then gave their own version of the events around New Year’s Eve, claiming they did not insist on visiting the President-Elect, but “reluctantly” accepted his invitation to stop by. Mr Trump then invited them to his New Year’s Eve party, the hosts said, and they declined.
The pair also felt obligated to clear up the accusations around Ms Brzezinski’s supposed cosmetic surgery, saying she had not had a facelift but instead had “a little skin under her chin tweaked”. The accusation that she was “bleeding badly,” they said, was a lie.
In fact, the hosts wrote, Mr Trump’s insults about Ms Brzezinski’s appearance play into a larger trend of the President's’ “continued mistreatment of women”.
“From his menstruation musings about Megyn Kelly, to his fat-shaming treatment of a former Miss Universe, to his braggadocious claims about grabbing women’s genitalia, the 45th president is setting the poorest of standards for our children,” they wrote.
The piece also includes a none-too-subtle plea to the Mr Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and wife, Melania, to condemn the President's behaviour.
“It would be the height of hypocrisy to claim the mantle of women’s empowerment while allowing a family member to continue such abusive conduct,” they wrote.
Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons
Show all 33
Mr Scarborough and Ms Brzezinksi have maintained a close – but tumultuous – relationship with Mr Trump over the years. The relationship started out friendly, with the hosts inviting Mr Trump to speak on their show several times at the beginning of his campaign. But it began to sour when Mr Scarborough suggested Mr Trump could not win the presidential election – a statement Mr Trump quickly contested on Twitter.
The hosts, who claim to have spoken at length with Mr Trump’s top aides, have since turned to excoriating Mr Trump on-air, calling him a “fake president” and accusing him of “lying every day and destroying the country.”
Earlier this year, the hosts claimed in their article, top White House officials retaliated by threatening to run a negative National Enquirer story about them if they did not beg the President to cancel it. The hosts said they declined.
Mr Trump took to Twitter on Friday morning to refute this version of events, claiming Mr Scarborough had called him to stop the article.
“I said no!” the President tweeted. “Bad show.”
The hosts however, concluded their piece by saying they do not take the attacks personally. Instead, they said, they continue to worry about the President’s mental state.
“The Donald Trump we knew before the campaign was a flawed character,” they wrote, “but one who still seemed capable of keeping his worst instincts in check.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies