Donald Trump is risking economic chaos by appointing unqualified nominees to high-level government positions, according to MSNBC's Joe Scarborough.
The president-elect has selected former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense and MAGA loyalist Kash Patel as FBI director, and the "Morning Joe" host said both of them lacked the character, background and judgment to serve effectively.
"No member of the Senate thinks that Pete Hegseth has what it takes to run the biggest, most powerful, most complicated bureaucracy, no Republican in the Senate believes that," Scarborough said. "How does he get 50 votes?"
Co-host Mika Brzezinski said Trump's nominees would potentially spook and destabilize the stock market.
"This incoming president who's self-interested and to him a strong economy is the definition of strength to him," Brzezinski said, "and I think the point that you've made is one of the more important ones how does this ultimately impact the success of Donald Trump and the strength of Donald Trump if destabilization of the rule of law whether it's through the Department of Defense or the FBI, hurts the economy ultimately, that's not good for the incoming president."
"It's terrible for the economy, it's terrible for the stock market," Scarborough added. "Terrible for America, terrible for democracy. Something we tried to say throughout the campaign on this show – okay, yes, yes, this is a challenge to American democracy and also a challenge to American capitalism, if you destabilize constitutional norms and the rule of law."
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The co-hosts took a deep dive into Hegseth's views based on a book he published in June, titled "The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” which has been described as "an odd mix of slogans and unsupported assertions" and detailed fantasies about civil war.
"There are so many things that are so – it's early in the morning, I'm going to give moms and dads across the East Coast a break, so crazy, but what's so disturbing especially for those concerned about the implementation of the Insurrection Act, you have a guy here in a book that's saying America's on decline and dying," Scarborough said.
"That's a lie, that's a total absolute lie. Our military is stronger than at any time. Our economy, the envy of the world. I was overseas this weekend, I can tell you everybody wringing their hands, asking why they can't be more like America. Our allies across Europe just, just looking at our strength economically right now and just beyond themselves. America, economically stronger than it's been in such a long time relative to the rest of the world."
"We have a guy who wants to be the head of the DOD talking about America dying, America collapsing, America in the 11th century, this is the crusades, there's going to be a civil war, the military and the police are going to take up arms against its own people," Scarborough added. "What do you say to the Republican senators and the Democratic senators that are going to have to vote on this nominee?"
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