This is the Sept. 28, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.
“The midterms are going to be a f–––ing bloodbath, and we all know it and we all know why.”
— Rep. Nancy Mace, a retiring South Carolina Republican, on the president she once enthusiastically supported
Introduction/Greeting
Very little that happens in Washington surprises me anymore.
But this did:
“Paid for by the U.S. Government.”
That’s the fine print at the end of a recycled 2024 campaign commercial that aired this weekend during football games and “Saturday Night Live.”
Three such ads have now run on the American taxpayer’s dime, at an estimated cost of more than $1 million.
It’s a move worthy of Viktor Orbán or Vladimir Putin.
Big government at its worst: public money seized to promote the man in charge.
With his approval ratings stuck in the 30s, Donald Trump did something no other president would do. He stole taxpayer dollars to pay for his political ad.
And it won’t even help his cause. In fact, I’d guess it will hurt Republicans.
In the ad, Trump vows to “expel the warmongers from our government” — while waging a war against Iran with no end in sight.
He promises lower prices — while gas nears $4.50 a gallon and groceries and rent cost more than ever.
We know why Trump does this.
That Trump would do this is not a surprise. But I’m still naive enough to be bothered that conservatives would allow the centralized state to fund a political ad with misappropriated tax dollars seized from their constituents.
This is what socialism looks like:
A government taking over companies, running strongman propaganda on TV, and leaving taxpayers with the bill.
Not only is this dangerous for American democracy, it is just plain bad politics for Republican candidates.
If the GOP won’t force Trump to quit playing strongman, voters will remember in November – and elect Democrats who will do their jobs.
POLL OF THE DAY
Source: Wall Street Journal poll of 1,500 registered voters conducted Sept. 16-21. Margin of error: +/-2.5%
WHAT THEY SAID
Norm Eisen on voters’ views of Trump
“The Republican majorities in Congress are supine. They’re Trump’s lapdogs, and they’ve done nothing to stop him. That is a sign of a backsliding democracy, like Orban’s Hungary. But the good news: The public opinion polls show the American people aren’t having it.”
Jonathan Lemire on the midterms
“There is still time for an October surprise. But as of this moment, Republicans are deathly afraid that this could be a wipeout. They feel like a blue wave is coming, and they feel like whatever the president has done — not only has it not worked, it’s actively hurt their chances.”
David Ignatius on Benjamin Netanyahu
“Netanyahu has consistently resisted an effort like ours after 9/11, where we were shaken as a country, and did what a mature well-run country does: We investigated, no holds barred. And that hasn’t happened in Israel yet. Each of those reports is suppressed. At some point, there is going to be an investigation, and it’s going to shock Israelis deeply.”
EXTRA HOT TEA
60
—
Roughly how many times Trump has posted about building renovations, renaming lakes, and unfair press coverage since Labor Day, as Republicans worry the president is focused on the “wrong things” heading into the midterms
The post “The midterms are going to be a f–––ing bloodbath … we all know why”: Nancy Mace appeared first on MS NOW.
