Chris Matthews to Donald Trump: ‘You Are Not Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe’

Thursday on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” host Christ Matthews used his closing monologue to rebuke President Donald Trump for his request for former FBI Director’s James Comey’s loyalty.

Matthews warned Trump he was not Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe and not entitled to so-called loyalty pledges.

Transcript as follows:

You know you’re in trouble when you have to bring in a $1,500 an hour lawyer from the big city. Donald Trump was driven to that today by the sworn testimony of the FBI director he fired. He should have known better, known better than to try and manipulate Director James Comey, known better than to demand that he give him a personal oath of loyalty, known better than to ask he drop the bureau’s investigation of Michael Flynn, known better than to attack Comey’s character with what Comey today said were lies about the FBI.

This whole mess is a tragedy of errors by a president who refuses to accept the limited powers of his office. Presidents are not dictators. You get elected to the office in this country.

You are not Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. You don`t ask people to kneel before you. You don’t demand loyalty pledges. You don’t tell the country`s chief law enforcement executive to drop cases because they might reach too close to you.

Donald Trump seems determined to reshape the office of president, the federal government and the way we govern ourselves in this country to the way of doing business in Trump Tower. There`s no evidence so far that he`s learning that lesson, that he’s capable of learning. He seems headed for four years of trying to do it his way, to find people to come to work for him who tell him he’s great at the way he’s doing it already.

Well, this is going to end bad, until someone intervenes with Donald Trump, sits down with him and explains that even our greatest, most visionary presidents needed to learn they are not dictators. Franklin Roosevelt learned when he tried to pack the Supreme Court. Ronald Reagan learned when he let Iran-Contra get out of hand.

We’re better off in this country when we have presidents who learn and learn early the constitutional limits of their office and make the best of it. Donald Trump is still on the wrong side of learning that, still short of a needed intervention. His dealings with James Comey are already in the history book. He should study this chapter before he goes on.

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor

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