The crowd booing President Trump with spurts of “lock him up” chants have prompted mixed reactions from Democrats and Never Trumpers, with some believing the president got his just desserts while others feel it went too far.
In the latter corner are MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who both scolded the chants as un-American.
“[T]here is a very long and rich tradition of presidents being booed at sporting events — most of them do,” Scarborough said. “I would speak to the lock him up chants. Again, it is un-American. It started with Donald Trump. In fact, he’s made it a centerpiece of his campaign rallies.”
“Sickening, we are Americans,” he continued. “And we do not do that. We do not want the world hearing us chant ‘lock him up’ to this president, or to any president, that’s what I’m saying. Let’s hope, as we move forward, maybe this is one less fascist tactic he and his supporters use, during chants. You are going to actually imprison your political opponents. So let’s leave that behind.”
Though Joe Scarborough routinely criticizes President Trump, he has been quick to call out the excesses of the Left on several occasions lately, such as when Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) openly pushed for Kavanaugh’s impeachment.
“As a prosecutor, she really should put an ‘alleged’ in front of the word victims, especially in the case of The New York Times essay, the baffling essay, the baffling editing process that they put forward,” he said.
"We are Americans and we do not do that. We do not want the world hearing us chant 'Lock him up' to this president or to any president." — @JoeNBC pic.twitter.com/9IgMCETBdn
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) October 28, 2019
Of course, Joe Scarborough is not the only one to condemn the “lock him up” chants; none other than Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said the office of the president deserves some respect.
“Well, forgive me, I’m enough of a sort of traditionalist about our institutions that even at a time when there is a lot that our president does that I find disturbing, offensive, unconventional, I have a hard time with the idea of a crowd on a globally televised sporting event chanting ‘lock him up’ about our president,” Coons said in an appearance on CNN, as reported by The Hill. “I frankly think the office of the president deserves respect, even when the actions of our president don’t.”
Coons also expressed hope not to see the chants become a staple of the Democratic Party’s campaign like “lock her up” did during the Trump campaign.
“I think that’s one of the most regrettable, even at times despicable, actions by candidate Trump when he was running for president in 2016,” Coons said. “It reminds me of things that happen in countries where rule of law is unknown or unestablished and sort of whipping up public furor on both sides. I don’t think is constructive or helpful.”
Coons did, however, concede that he understands why “crowds in Washington would feel a lot of animus toward our president.”
“Frankly, that’s why I think those of us in the Senate need to approach the impeachment process seriously, in a measured and responsible way, because our very institutions, our Constitution, is at risk,” Coons said.