Thousands of critics took to Twitter on Monday morning to knock MSNBC host Joe Scarborough after he said it was “un-American” for the crowd at Game 5 of the World Series in Washington, D.C. to chant “lock him up” at President Trump.
More than 10,000 tweets including the phase “sorry Joe” began trending on Twitter as users defended the actions of onlookers at Nationals Park on Sunday night.
“The misrule, cruelty and infantilism of this administration is such that some sense of an enduring ethos is actually redeemed when we the people openly express our contempt,” wrote author and TV writer David Simon. “Dissent is the most American thing there is — and to get clean, we need as much as there is on display.”
Leah Green, the co-executive director of progressive advocacy group Indivisible, wrote: “Counterpoint: ‘there will be accountability for your crimes’ is 100% the best message we could be sending to the rest of the world right now.”
“Sorry Joe, you don’t get to put democracy in a time out,” Twitter user Greg Morelli wrote. “Sorry Joe, it feels like you want the rest of us to forget that you played an instrumental role in getting Trump elected & now you want to play revolutionary with the coiffed hair. Sorry Joe, we remember.”
{mosads}Scarborough scolded the World Series crowd, calling it “un-American” to chant “lock him up” and boo when Trump came on the scoreboard during the game between the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals.
“It started with Donald Trump. In fact, he’s made it a centerpiece of his campaign rallies,” Scarborough said, noting that the chant originated against 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Co-host Mika Brzezinski interjected that she finds it “sickening” when Trump supporters chant “lock her up.”
“Of course it’s sickening,” Scarborough agreed. “We are Americans and we do not do that. We do not want the world hearing us chant ‘lock him up’ to this president or to any president.”
Scarborough took to Twitter after the segment aired to defend himself against his critics.
“So let’s see if I’ve got this straight: When crowds chant ‘Lock her up” toward Hillary, it is illiberal and anti-American. (I agree). But when crowds chant the same toward Trump, it is suddenly a fulsome exercise of sacred First Amendment rights. What hypocritical clowns,” he tweeted.
He added that those who “think that democracy is strengthened by calling for the arrest of political opponents” are as “ignorant and illiberal” as the president himself.
“Delete your account and read some civics,” Scarborough fired back. “Stop embarrassing yourself.”
Demonstrators also unfurled “Veterans for Impeachment” banners behind home plate during the World Series game.
–This report was updated at 1:56 p.m.