MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough sparked widespread viewer reaction Monday when he defended President Donald Trump’s weekend military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, arguing that previous presidents including Hillary Clinton would have made the same decision. The surprising stance from the typically critical MSNBC anchor came during the June 23 broadcast as political discourse intensified around Trump’s bombing campaign.
Trump announced over the weekend that the United States had deployed bunker buster bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles against three key Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The President characterized the operation as a “spectacular military success” following extensive Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and military installations.
Scarborough emphasized that he was not championing either side but argued that multiple former presidents would have felt compelled to take similar action. The former Republican congressman specifically cited George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton as leaders who likely would have made identical decisions when faced with Iran’s uranium enrichment reaching 60 percent and the country’s ability to create nuclear weapons in a short timeframe.
The defense came from a host who has been a frequent critic of the Trump administration, having previously slammed Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency cuts and stood by former President Joe Biden during reports of mental decline in March 2024. Scarborough quoted former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to support his position, noting that when sitting in the White House making foreign policy decisions about war, “you’re never handed a good decision and a bad decision.”
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius agreed with Scarborough’s assessment during the broadcast, stating that Trump’s choices were limited at the decision point. Ignatius indicated that Trump had inherited the battle plan from three previous presidents who had considered the exact same bombing strategy but pulled back due to uncertainties associated with the action. He suggested that if Trump determined diplomatic settlement was impossible, he essentially had no choice but to move the situation to different terrain.
The military operation utilized 14 bunker buster bombs, including the 15-ton GBU-57 weapons marking their first use in combat. Satellite images showed complete obliteration of portions of the mountain protecting the Fordow facility. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the attacks as extremely dangerous, lawless, and criminal behavior.
Prior to the airstrikes, reports indicated that Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had attempted to arrange meetings between American and Iranian officials in Istanbul. These diplomatic efforts collapsed when Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, could not be reached for approval after fleeing to an undisclosed location.
The striking defense of Trump’s actions drew significant attention given Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski’s complicated relationship with the President. The couple faced viewer outrage in late 2024 when they visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago property, despite years of heavily criticizing his administration. Their relationship traces back to the early days of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign when they provided substantial support before experiencing a bitter split.
Congressional Democrats have criticized the Iran strikes as unconstitutional, arguing they were conducted without proper congressional approval. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie condemned the action, while Illinois Representative Sean Casten called the bombings an unambiguous impeachable offense.
Iran has promised retaliation following the strikes, declaring that the United States has entered the war clearly and directly. The attacks on the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites represent a significant escalation in Middle Eastern tensions, with experts noting that while substantial damage occurred, Iran’s nuclear program remains far from completely destroyed.
MSNBC contributor Katty Kay supported Scarborough’s analysis, agreeing that diplomatic routes had been exhausted for the White House and that military action became the remaining possibility that previous presidents had avoided. The defense represents a rare moment of bipartisan-style support from liberal media figures for Trump’s foreign policy decisions.
Sources:
https://nypost.com/2025/06/23/media/msnbcs-joe-scarborough-defends-trumps-strikes-on-iran/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/media/article-14839013/morning-joe-scarborough-iran-msnbc-trump.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/morning-joe-trump-iran-hillary-clinton-b2775189.html
https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/msnbcs-joe-scarborough-defends-trump-over-strikes-on-iran-hillary-clinton-would-have-done-the-same-thing/
https://www.silive.com/politics/2025/06/top-host-and-major-trump-critic-at-lefty-leaning-msnbc-defends-iran-strike.html
