This is the May 18, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.
JOE’S NOTE
The president’s poll numbers are at historic lows.
His support among independents has collapsed.
Even the bedrock of his coalition — white voters without a college degree — are deserting the billionaire.
Those historic gains among Hispanic and younger voters 18 months ago? Ancient history.
Donald Trump is in retreat.
The president’s savage mass deportation project began the collapse his sagging economy has completed.
Even Trump’s feral instincts fail him now.
His unmoored temperament and radical policies have led to federal agents gunning down American citizens in city streets, an ongoing battle with America’s first pope, a comparison of himself to Jesus, an endless series of expensive wars, a threat to destroy entire civilizations, and an inability to understand the suffering of working Americans.
Donald Trump has earned his low approval ratings.
Unfortunately, his political fall coincides with America’s ugly retreat across the globe.
This is a president who kowtows to China and betrays Taiwan.
He helps Putin by undermining Ukraine, pulling troops from Germany, canceling military exercises with Poland, campaigning tirelessly for Russia’s puppet in Hungary, and unraveling America’s nearly 80-year alliance with NATO that defeated the Soviet Union.
Why does Donald Trump seem to hate America’s friends and adore its enemies?
Regardless of the answer, the resulting wreckage from his twisted worldview could hurt America for generations to come.
Rudyard Kipling’s classic poem “If” provides timely advice.
When others destroy the very things we built over a lifetime, our duty is to “stoop down” and begin the process of rebuilding — even if all we have are “worn-out tools.”
James Madison’s Constitution may be old, but it is more than adequate for the task ahead.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to — but you don’t pout, you don’t whine, you don’t claim the election was stolen.”
— Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy conceding defeat in his primary race for re-election in Louisiana
CHART OF THE DAY
Source: CBS News-YouGov survey of 2,064 U.S. adults, May 13–15; margin of error: +/-2.7%
A DIFFERENT KIND OF FADING PRESIDENT
— Jonathan Lemire
For years, Washington and the nation were consumed by the debate over Joe Biden’s health and age. His aides pushed back, insisting he was up to the job. His legislative record was strong; Democrats did well in the 2022 midterms.
But then Biden’s deficiencies burst into the open with his faltering, confused performance in a general election debate. The wave of recriminations and finger-pointing that followed continues among Democrats and journalists to this day.
To this point, Donald Trump has largely avoided that same level of scrutiny about his age. That’s in part, I have long thought, because Trump is such a big presence in any room — as opposed to Biden, who grew visibly thinner as he got older, adding to the appearance of frailty. Trump is also LOUD; Biden’s voice was frequently reduced to a gentle whisper.
But as I write this week in The Atlantic, something has shifted:
As Trump turns 80 next month, his recent behavior should prompt even more questions than usual about his stability, judgment, and mental sharpness.
Among the points of concern: a late-night social-media storm a few days ago featuring more than 50 messages, many strewn with dangerous or nonsensical misinformation, which followed a similar Truth Social broadside weeks earlier; an apocalyptic threat to wipe out a civilization; more and more insults (“nasty,” “stupid,” “ugly,” “treasonous”) hurled at reporters; appearing to fall asleep in public, sometimes twice in one week; deep bruises on his hands, which are covered in makeup and accompanied by confusing explanations; and long, odd tangents in speeches that seem longer and odder than his usual tangents.
Never known for his ability to self-censor, Trump seems to have completely abandoned any sort of filter, tossing out messages from one extreme (He’s glad that Robert Mueller is dead!) to the other (actually, Trump is Jesus and shall heal the sick).
Whereas Biden noticeably changed, Trump appears in many ways to be the same. He’s always been erratic; he’s always been bombastic.
But as Trump has aged, he’s becoming a purer, less filtered version of himself. Because the changes are less obvious, they’ve drawn less attention. For now, at least.
Look for this conversation to pick up as Trump heads for his annual physical later this month ahead of his June birthday.
ON THIS DATE
On May 18, 1980, the Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington state erupted, leaving an estimated 57 people dead or missing.
Mount St. Helens, May 22, 1980.
WHAT THEY SAID
David Ignatius on American alliances
“It’s hard to be America’s friend and ally, and it’s easier to be a strong and sometimes belligerent adversary like China.”
Michael Weiss on Ukraine
“The joke in Kyiv is no longer whether Ukraine should join NATO, but when NATO will want to join Ukraine.”
Jen Palmieri on the MAGA base
“Donald Trump’s base stuck with him because they believed he understood what their lives were like — that he was on their side. Even when the economy struggled, they stayed with him.
“But I think the repeated dismissal of how people are feeling — and what’s actually happening in their lives economically — is starting to catch up with him.”
Ja’han Jones on diversity, equity and inclusion
“It’s very interesting that Trump, for all of his threats and intimidation, hasn’t been able to scare corporations away from DEI initiatives — even if they now exist under different names. The reason is simple: They believe it supports their bottom line.”
Pablo Torre on the Knicks
“I hate the reverse jinx, but at this point it’s NBA Finals or bust.”
EXTRA HOT TEA
$200
— The fine that President Trump paid after being months late to report buying and selling Microsoft and Amazon stock worth millions of dollars.
ONE MORE SHOT
Shaheen Gray of Houston prays during Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving on the National Mall in Washington on May 17, 2026.
CATCH UP ON MORNING JOE
The post Trump’s repeated dismissal of the MAGA base is catching up to him appeared first on MS NOW.
