MS NOW’s Mika Brzezinski reacted to President Trump’s clash with NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” where he said California Democrats are cheating in last week’s primary elections.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Wow. She did a great job there. I do think, though, we’ve seen a few of these, and journalists as a whole have to look at our overall approach. Donald Trump’s unspooled performance on Meet the Press was unnerving, not least of all because the sight of any American president looking that unhinged and unhealthy should concern every American who saw his performance. The president spewed a stream of lies and conspiracy theories targeted for the most uninformed members of his dwindling base. His frantic attempts to change the subject away from the endless war that he started, high gas prices he cares nothing about, and the failed Republican candidates in California seem to only make Mr. Trump look more diminished and desperate. Ten years after this reality host entered U.S. politics, his behavior on the Sunday shows seems to prove the media still has to learn more about maybe how best to handle this madman routine. In a July 2016 meeting, Donald Trump told Lesley Stahl that he attacked the press to discredit and demean reporters. That’s the strategy, so that when they write negative stories about him, no one will believe them. So when members of the media are attacked as fake news peddlers for reporting the facts about the 2020 election, they must forcefully respond with facts that make it into those clips that low-information viewers will see. Mr. President, 63 federal judges threw out all your 2020 election claims. Many of those federal judges, don’t stop, were appointed by you, Mr. President.” Talk over him. “The high court that you have called ‘my Supreme Court’ rejected every one of your false claims about a stolen election. Republican election officials from Pennsylvania to Arizona also refused to buy into your lies. They are lies.” Mr. President, you’re lying right now on my show. I can’t allow you to lie on my show. Even the Georgia secretary of state and governor rejected your lies, and even recorded your call where you tried to get the secretary of state to find enough votes to rig the election. Mr. President, you are lying to my audience right now. I have to stop you. You’re lying to my audience right now. And if you continue, we will end this interview. I will end this interview. Please stop lying to the audience. Please stop lying to the audience. Yesterday, Donald Trump continued stumbling over facts, got red-faced, and then he started screaming about how the California elections were rigged because officials were still counting votes six days after the June 2 election. No one would have to assume that the president of the United States is a stupid man to not know that almost all states count votes well beyond a week after Election Day. When Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger was reelected governor in 2006, the vote count took 30 days, as required by California law. When Republican congressmen get elected in California this November, it will take 30 days to count and certify those votes in their districts. Donald Trump knows this, but his howling protests toward Kristen Welker and his insults to her was aimed not at the Meet the Press host or regular viewers, but rather at Americans who don’t follow the news, or follow specific news sites that are geared toward him, and will likely only see a clip of his outbursts on social media. And so many will accept Donald Trump’s ravings at face value. That’s why the media has to up its game going into an election that Mr. Trump desperately has proven he wants to undermine and sow distrust. We all must be more aggressive than ever in getting the facts out to viewers and go into every interview armed with facts, but also be ready to fight back and get into those clips. His lies must be met with facts, and his lies must be run over and not allowed on decent broadcasts that represent journalism.
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