MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski was visibly taken aback as she presented clips contrasting events from President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on July 10 episode of Morning Joe . The segment featured side-by-side footage highlighting Biden’s address at a NATO summit and Trump’s rally in Florida, where he hurled insults and praised the January 6 “hostages.”
Biden and Trump deliver opposite messages on Tuesday pic.twitter.com/xPisIG1z17
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 10, 2024
The clip began with Biden speaking at the 75th anniversary of NATO, emphasizing the importance of the alliance. “The single greatest, most effective defensive alliance in the history of the world,” Biden said in the clip. The clip then cut to Trump saying at the rally, “I didn’t even know what NATO was too much before, but it didn’t take me long to figure out, about two minutes.” Brzezinski shook her head in disbelief and uttered, “Wow, wow, wow,” Raw Story reported.
. @morningmika explains why Democrats questioning Biden need to stay focused on who the opponent is. pic.twitter.com/smGBTRxFw1
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 10, 2024
“That was an incredible parallel yesterday side by side. Trump was very smooth, very smooth,” Brzezinski remarked sarcastically. “Talking about Chris Christie being a fat pig, never really knowing what NATO was, the J6 hostages, the people who defecated on our Capitol are now in his mind hostages. He was smooth saying that as well, and he did not mangle his words at all when he talked about his close relationship with Putin. It was good that we could clearly understand that.”
Trump’s appearance at the rally marked his re-emergence on the campaign trail after a brief period of low activity. Meanwhile, Biden has been dealing with pressures within his own party to step aside for a younger Democratic nominee, particularly following a series of missteps during the June 27 presidential debate. Just weeks ago, many anticipated that Trump would be facing one of the most challenging periods of his campaign.
The former president was scheduled to face sentencing by a New York judge for his conviction in a hush-money case. However, a favorable ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on presidential immunity delayed the court proceedings, easing some of the immediate legal pressures on Trump and diverting voter attention away from his potential upcoming trials and possible prison time.
In contrast, Biden has been striving to recover from a wave of negative coverage following his debate performance. Quite a few developments this week further threatened Biden’s already precarious reelection campaign, per Euro News . Nancy Pelosi stated recently that “it’s up to the president to decide” whether he should continue in the race, while prominent donor George Clooney declared he shouldn’t run. Many Democratic senators and lawmakers have publicly voiced new concerns about his chances of defeating Trump.
The NATO summit provided a timely opportunity for him to regain footing, allowing him to host world leaders in Washington, engage in formal meetings, hold sideline chats, and partake in long diplomatic dinners. These events showcased his capability to handle the responsibilities of the presidency, countering concerns raised after the debate.