On today’s Morning Joe, in giving President Trump his due for apparently achieving a Gaza peace deal, historian and former Biden speech writer Jon Meacham said:
“Even if someone with whom you disagree about 99 things does the 100th really well, you should say so, because that’s what intellectual honesty is. So all credit to President Trump.”
We feel your pain, Jon!
We’ll take Meacham’s counsel to heart. Even though we disagree with roughly 99% of the opinions expressed on Morning Joe, let’s accord the show credit for giving President Trump generally unqualified praise for his diplomatic achievement.
Thus, Joe Scarborough repeated a notion that we remarked on yesterday:
“The negotiators, that it’s some of these business relationships that have drawn criticism in the past that actually have allowed them to go in and go places that, let’s just say, a more conventional White House and team would have been able to go.
“The Abraham Accords, which actually Jared Kushner went around the Middle East and, of course, for Donald Trump, built relationships across the Middle East. Many of those he continued in the private sector, gaining criticism, of course, for making money that he did for his business.
“But those relationships built up, and those are the same relationships that he’s using right now, along with Steve Witkoff and others, to bring us to a place where I don’t think we’ve been.”
And then there was David Ignatius, who said that President Trump will:
“Take a victory lap for sure over the next few days. But it’s deserved. There’s no way that I can see that this would have been done without Trump’s pressure in the final hours.”
And in perhaps the bitterest pill for liberals to swallow, Ignatius added:
“This war was blocked for two years. President Biden, who preceded him, was unable to find a way to stop it. President Trump found that way by being tough on both sides.”
Ouch!
Then again, if Kamala Harris had won the White House, you can imagine the parties agreeing to a Gaza deal just to stop being subjected to her word salads, grating laughter, and musings on the meaning of time.
Expect Morning Joe to soon return to its regularly-scheduled programming of trashing President Trump. But for today, let’s acknowledge the temporary ceasefire by this outpost of the liberal media.
Note: The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced tomorrow. If Trump doesn’t get it, it’ll be the biggest Nobel outrage since Obama won it in 2009 for doing . . . nothing.
Here’s the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
10/9/25
6:04 am EDTDAVID IGNATIUS: The deal that President Trump is announcing, which played a key part in negotiating, is a significant change. This war was blocked for two years. President Biden, who preceded him, was unable to find a way to stop it. President Trump found that way by being tough on both sides.
And he’ll take a victory lap for sure over the next few days. But it’s deserved. There’s no way that I can see that this would have been done without Trump’s pressure in the final hours.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: One, by the way, the White House would be the first to admit that it’s, and the negotiators, that it’s some of these business relationships that have drawn criticism in the past that actually have allowed them to go in and go places that, let’s just say, a more conventional White House and team would have been able to go.
. . .
Jon Meacham, let’s talk history here. My God, the failure since 1948 to figure out a way to resolve this issue are so plentiful. I can only think of a few, offhand, successful negotiations. One, of course, that Mika and her family know very well about, the Camp David Accords.
But also the Abraham Accords, which actually Jared Kushner went around the Middle East and, of course, for Donald Trump, built relationships across the Middle East. Many of those he continued in the private sector, gaining criticism, of course, for making money that he did for his business.
But those relationships built up, and those are the same relationships that he’s using right now, along with Steve Witkoff and others, to bring us to a place where I don’t think we’ve been.
JON MEACHAM: No, I think that’s right.
SCARBOROUGH: I should ask you, how historic is this?
MEACHAM: Well, as ever, depends on how the chapter ends, but the beginning of the chapter is remarkable.
And one of the things about honesty, and citizenship and a sense of, I would say, maturity about what people in a democracy should do is, even if someone with whom you disagree about 99 things, does the 100th really well? You should say so, because that’s what intellectual honesty is. And so all credit to President Trump and his, as you say, unconventional team. But if it takes an unconventional team, that’s fine.
