Hosts of the MSNBC program "Morning Joe" offered a mock prayer for Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina on Thursday, reacting to a speech he delivered at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas. The panel characterized his remarks as "really weird" and expressed concern over his strong rhetoric.
Scott's speech at the convention, which aims to rally voters for the upcoming midterm elections, included declarations such as, "The only way to keep dangerous, radical, weird out of the Senate is a united Republican Party, standing with our President, Donald J. Trump!" He also stated, "This is a battle for the heart of our nation. I said, the heart of our nation! The Democrats’ extreme candidates won’t rip that heart out of our chests!"
"Wow. You know, speaking of weird. That was really weird," said "Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough. He added, "I thought for a moment there, he needs some anti-seizure medication. I was concerned, and the whole ‘ripping the heart out of the chest’ and ‘Democrats hate America and American culture.’"
Scarborough then invited fellow host Rev. Al Sharpton to comment. Sharpton responded, "Well, first we should all join hands and pray for him," prompting the panel to join hands. Sharpton continued with a prayer for Scott, stating, "Tim Scott needs an intersection. He needs an interception and intersection. Because he is really out there. Bring him back in, Lord!"
Scarborough echoed the sentiment with a prayer to "Baby Jesus," while co-host Mika Brzezinski indicated she was genuinely praying. Sharpton expressed shock at Scott's rhetoric, describing it as going "far beyond merely kissing the ring" and suggesting it indicated Scott was acting out of fear.
"I understand that you bowed to Trump, but the way he really went off the chain, you’ve got to really wonder about where he is in his head," Sharpton said. "This is—‘overcompensation’ is too light a term, this is—I’ve never seen anything like that in national politics. And to play to Trump like that, you’d only do that if you were in fear facing, you know, a firing squad or something."
Sharpton also criticized Scott for what he perceived as demonizing Democrats, arguing that Scott does not apply similar rhetoric to Republicans or Trump himself. Scarborough agreed, lamenting that Republicans no longer champion "melting pot" ideals but refraining from stating that they hate America.
In response to the segment, a spokesperson for Scott told Fox News Digital, "Bless their hearts."