Donald Trump Demands Apology From Mika Brzezinski; Brzezinski Wants Psychiatrist For Trump

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump demanded an apology Sunday from MSNBC Morning Joe anchor Mika Brzezinski for what he called a “coordinated gang attack” on one of his supporters.

BRZEZINSKI CALLS FOR PSYCHIATRIST EVALUATION FOR TRUMP

Pastor Mark Burns appeared on Morning Joe and was asked a series of challenging questions regarding Trump’s recent statements about the judge presiding over a current lawsuit against Trump. Trump has asserted that Judge Gonzalo Curiel has “an absolute conflict” of interest because he is “of Mexican heritage.” Despite the fact that Curiel was born in Indiana, Trump believes that he is unfit to preside over the case because “I’m building a wall, it’s an inherent conflict of interest.”

When asked if these comments were racist, Trump supporter Burns, who is a black pastor from South Carolina, said no. Burns sputtered around his answer at first until pressed with interruptions from both Brzezinksi and Reverend Al Sharpton, with Brzezinski saying “it’s a yes or no” and Sharpton saying that “we lose the moral imperative if we start saying that something that is green is red.”

Trump responded Sunday with a letter to MSNBC demanding an apology on behalf of his supporter.

Following this, Brzezinski, on Monday’s episode of Morning Joe, suggested they have a psychiatrist as a guest to look at Trump and evaluate what sort of mental health he possesses. “Let’s stop pretending we’re dealing with someone who we can completely understand,” Brzezinski said. “We’ve seen enough of him, it’s repetitive, it’s consistent.”

Scarborough warned against the idea, saying “a psychiatrist cannot come on and diagnose somebody.” But he came around to the idea of inviting a mental health professional who could “describe certain traits in people and then have them talk about” them in relation to others.

Another guest on the show, Princeton professor Eddie Glaude, Jr. added that it would be unwise to diagnose Trump, because “when we do that we kind of suggest that he is this singular figure. And we can’t say that he’s just, something’s mentally wrong with him as an easy way to dismiss him.”

Former Ted Cruz spokesperson Rick Tyler also appeared, and suggested that all political candidates be required to undergo mental health evaluations before being allowed into office. “We don’t require people to…serve in the military with mental issues” and “we have always seen presidential medical records,” said Tyler. “Why not a mental health evaluation?”

This feud between Trump and Morning Joe is not new. Trump began his campaign with several appearances on the show, with Brzezinski and co-host Joe Scarborough going easy on him. Since then, as Trump became a more serious candidate, he and the show became more bitter toward one another, often spawning a series of angry tweets.