MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough on Monday declared matter-of-factly that “Republicans aren’t going to win the presidency” with Donald Trump as the party’s nominee and the focus should now be on avoiding huge losses for down-ballot Republicans.
“People say if you don’t support Donald Trump, then Republicans aren’t going to win the presidency. Well, Republicans aren’t going to win the presidency,” Scarborough said on “Morning Joe.”
“At this point, and I’m just being a selfish Republican, for me it’s about saving the Senate, it’s about not getting wiped out in the House, it’s about not getting wiped out in the state legislatures and governorships,” he continued. “We have a lot to lose.”
The former Florida congressman also called on Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), two vulnerable Republicans up for re-election, to “show a little courage” by distancing themselves from Trump.
Asked later on in the morning news show if he really believes Republicans will lose the White House, Scarborough replied, “without a doubt.”
Trump “lacks the discipline” to win and the campaign is “not doing what is required to win,” he said, pointing to the robust data infrastructure that was critical to President Obama’s win in 2008.
Watch the exchange via MSNBC:
.@JoeNBC: Republicans aren’t going to win the presidency… Trump is not a guy who is going to lead you to victory https://t.co/hStZ111oqZ
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) August 2, 2016
