“Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough didn’t mince words as he dissected Donald Trump’s victory in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary on Monday morning.
Despite Trump’s win, Scarborough challenged the former president’s perception of it as an overwhelming triumph, highlighting the significant portion of the vote he lost to his opponent, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Scarborough emphasized that this outcome was less than stellar for a former president.
Drawing attention to a Wall Street Journal editorial that echoed his concerns, Scarborough pointed out what he sees as a troubling pattern for Trump: consistent underperformance.
He highlighted Trump’s tendency to fall short of expectations, citing previous instances like the recent New Hampshire primary, where Trump was expected to win decisively but ended up with a narrower victory margin.
Scarborough emphasized the disparity between the predicted and actual victory margins, noting that Trump’s victory in South Carolina fell short of the anticipated 30-point lead, instead ending up at a 20-point margin.
This discrepancy led Scarborough to assert that Trump consistently fails to meet the lofty expectations set by polling data and media projections.
Overall, Scarborough’s analysis suggested that while Trump may claim victory, his inability to meet expectations in terms of margin of victory raises questions about his strength as a candidate and the level of support he truly commands within the Republican Party.