Scarborough says evangelicals supporting Trump over DeSantis or Haley 'crazy'

April 7, 2023

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough said he thinks evangelicals who support former President Donald Trump over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis or former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are "crazy."

Scarborough thought it was ironic that Christians could overlook Trump's accused involvement with a "porn star" and that he called the people accusing him "perverts." Trump has denied the affair and any wrongdoing.

He continued, “You do wonder, like, evangelicals continuing to support this guy — I know the numbers are supposedly dwindling — but when they have a choice, and its somebody like Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley or all these other people, they continue to line up behind him is really, really crazy.”

He said that he came from that community, explaining, "These are some people who would not let their children listen to rock music in high school because it was Satan’s music. Now, Donald Trump has porn stars, Playboy models, ‘Oh, that’s awesome. Yeah, go, Donald fight for us. Trump fight for our rights.’ They’ have twisted themselves into knots."

He called the continuing support for Trump "cultlike." Evangelicals had to walk through a "moral minefield" to justify supporting Trump, he added.

Evangelical leaders who openly campaigned for Trump in 2016 and 2020 are quieter so far in the 2024 campaign but have not denounced him so far.