This is the April 23, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“This is the socialism you said you were voting against.”
— Conservative radio host Erick Erickson on the Trump administration’s reported plan to take a 90% ownership stake in Spirit Airlines
JOE’S NOTE
April polls, like April baseball, don’t tell you everything. But sometimes the trend lines are impossible to ignore.
Democrats hold a 6-point advantage on the generic ballot, they lead on every major issue except border security, and the president’s approval has dropped to 42%, according to the Cook Political Report. Meanwhile, an AP-NORC poll rates Trump’s approval even lower at 33%.
So what’s the message heading into the midterms? I’d keep it simple: costs, corruption, and chaos.
Costs — just look at the gas station or the grocery store.
Corruption — it runs deep, from no-bid contracts, to family members cashing in, to the Epstein files still sitting in a drawer somewhere.
And chaos — I have friends and family who voted for Donald Trump and aren’t running to the Democrats anytime soon. But they’ll tell you plainly: “Every day, he exhausts me.”
If you’re a betting person, you look at these numbers and see a Democratic wave — maybe the House, maybe even the Senate.
The Democratic brand, though, is as weak as it’s been during my time in Washington. You can beat something with nothing in an off-year election — but governing is a different story.
If Democrats sweep in, they’ve got a lot to prove.
STEVE RATTNER’S CHARTS
STOCK MARKETS DEFY EXPECTATIONS
CORPORATE EARNINGS REMAIN STRONG
WINNERS AND LOSERS
PENCE ON THE STAND
Mike Pence is speaking out. The former vice president sat down with MS NOW’s Ali Vitali yesterday, offering pointed criticism of the second Trump administration on both domestic and foreign policy — arguing that it has strayed from the conservative principles that defined his four years in office.
More from that conversation is coming next week, including his assessment of the Republican Party’s future — and what role he sees himself playing in it. But his remarks on American leadership on the world stage are worth your attention now.
ON THIS DATE
Forty-one years ago today, Coca-Cola changed its 99-year-old formula to compete with Pepsi and ignited a full-blown American revolt. The company was flooded with up to 8,000 calls a day and 40,000 complaint letters — including one addressed to “Chief Dodo, The Coca-Cola Company.” Seventy-nine days later, Coca-Cola Classic was back on shelves, and New Coke had earned its place in history as what pundits called “the marketing blunder of the century.”
A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID FRENCH
The policies Republicans once used to attack Democrats are now showing up in the Trump administration’s agenda. Conservative columnist David French joined “Morning Joe” today to discuss how the party is abandoning core principles — from free markets to foreign policy — and may be underestimating the political consequences.
JS: David, what does it say about this Republican administration that it’s stepping in to prop up yet another private company?
DF: There’s a reason Spirit Airlines is struggling — and now the federal government is getting involved. I never thought we’d end up effectively turning Spirit into a national airline. It’s absurd.
WG: So the risks Republicans warned about under a Democratic president — those are now playing out under Trump?
DF: Yes, across multiple fronts. Military conflict and government intervention in markets were supposed to come with Kamala Harris. Instead, they’re happening under Donald Trump.
That said, something is beginning to shift. Trump isn’t as untouchable as he once was — there are cracks starting to show in the MAGA base. It’s not a collapse, but it’s meaningful.
JS: When are Republicans going to wake up and start criticizing this in a way that puts meaningful pressure on the administration to stop this nonsense?
DF: They won’t move until Republican primary voters move. For most GOP lawmakers, the biggest threat to their careers is still defying Trump — not anything happening in a general election.
There’s also a level of pride and hubris that set in after 2024 — a belief they had permanently reshaped American politics. That’s led to overreach and a sense there will be no accountability, even though public opinion doesn’t support that confidence.
There’s a real risk of sharp democratic accountability. When it comes, Republicans may be surprised — but it will stem directly from that overconfidence and insulation from reality.
JS: David, how does the Republican Party go from Reagan and the Cold War — standing up to the Soviet Union — to where we are now on Ukraine and Russia?
DF: It’s one of the most remarkable reversals I’ve seen. Republicans used to be clear-eyed about authoritarian threats, and now they’re weaker than Democrats on opposing Russian aggression.
There’s nothing traditionally conservative about cutting off aid to Ukraine or sidelining it in negotiations while giving attention to Russia. That breaks with decades of Republican foreign policy thinking.
This conversation has been condensed and edited for brevity and clarity.
EXTRA HOT TEA
44%
— The percentage of Americans who breathe dangerously polluted air, per the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report
ONE MORE SHOT
Palestinian children hold bags of snacks at a Children’s Day celebration organized by Doctors Worldwide on Wednesday in Gaza City.
CATCH UP ON MORNING JOE
The post The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe: ‘This is the socialism you said you were voting against’ appeared first on MS NOW.
