Screenshot / YouTube TED, Cropped by Resist the Mainstream

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough stirred controversy over the weekend when he decided to delete a social media post after a response from Elon Musk.

At a Saturday rally in Ohio, former President Donald Trump made headlines with his ominous warning of a “bloodbath” for the country, sharply criticizing the offshoring of jobs in the auto industry under the Biden administration. 

Trump's speech targeted Mexico and China, accusing them of siphoning off American manufacturing jobs and planning to flood the U.S. market with cheaply produced cars.

The rhetoric didn't sit well with Scarborough though, who took to social media to share his thoughts, posting footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot alongside a caption suggesting Trump's endorsement of chaos. 

“Donald Trump’s America. And he’s proud of it,” Scarborough wrote in the now-deleted post. “Promised another ‘bloodbath’ if he loses again.”

This move from the MSNBC host, however, proved to be short-lived, as Musk swiftly responded, challenging the accuracy of Scarborough's portrayal and urging for a more nuanced understanding of Trump's remarks. 

“Jan 6 was not a ‘bloodbath’ by any definition and Trump was referring to job losses in the auto industry when he used that word. Your post is extremely misleading,” Musk replied.

Musk's intervention shed light on what he deemed as “legacy media lies,” pointing out how various news outlets had sensationalized Trump's comments without proper context. In a series of posts, Musk criticized the media's portrayal of the situation and emphasized the importance of accurate reporting.

Musk took issue with Scarborough's framing of Trump's words in particular, arguing that they were taken out of context and misconstrued to fit a particular narrative. This prompted Scarborough to backtrack and delete his original post.

Musk's intervention not only forced a retraction but also sparked a broader conversation about the role of media in shaping public perception. It underscored the importance of critical thinking and fact-checking in an era where false narratives can spread like wildfire.