On Tuesday, after the shooting attack at an Islamic Center in San Diego, California, MS NOW’s Morning Joe focused on the rise of “anti-Muslim hatred” and a “rising tide of anti-Semitism” after October 7th, which the show blamed on the Trump Administration. Co-host Joe Scarborough also implied the use of posts that used Christian language on government websites and “quoting biblical verses on historic sites” were part of the rise of hatred. The segment started with a report on the shooting attack in San Diego, as Scarborough and fellow co-host Willie Geist praised the work of a security guard who died as a result of the shooting. But after the report and praise of the security guard, Scarborough went straight towards a blame game and connected the rise of anti-Muslim hatred to a rise in anti-Semitism:  You have historic levels of anti-muslim hatred across America. A rising tide of anti-semitism across America. The events of October 7th, and Gaza, and everything that's followed has led to a complete lack of dialogue and some of the places where it's needed the most badly on college campuses among our young people.  The hatred that is spreading online against muslims, against Jews, against Hispanics, against Asians, against, quote, “the others” is sad and unfortunate.   On Morning Joe, after the San Diego mosque attack, Joe Scarborough mentioned increased hatred post-October 7th before he turned to hint that the use of Christian language and bible verses among government officials and employees was a possible reason for inflamed hatred. pic.twitter.com/jPt8WNIbbC — Nick (@nspin310) May 19, 2026   Scarborough then mentioned he was raised as an evangelical, as he turned to mention the use of Christian language and bible verses by government officials and employees; hinting it was a possible reason for inflamed hate: I can tell you as someone evangelical, someone who was raised in the church, I do understand that there is a place for people of faith in government. But seeing - seeing this, this constant, this constant, un-American campaign by people posting on official U.S. Government websites that ‘We are a Christian nation’ and quoting Bible verses on historic sites, that - it goes completely against what the First Amendment says. Frequent guest David Ignatius, columnist for The Washington Post, also blamed the administration due to “more polarization, more inflammatory rhetoric.”    Scarborough continued, after David Ignaitus blamed the Supreme Court's "extreme view on the Second Amendment," and said "Christian Nationalists" were "trying to project their view of America from the perch of government bureaucracy?" pic.twitter.com/S33mP8uPRs — Nick (@nspin310) May 19, 2026   Ignatius praised the security guard before he turned to call the Supreme Court “oblivious” to shootings along with their “extreme view of the Second Amendment.” At the close of the segment, Scarborough went back to his earlier point of Christian language used by the government and started to mention “Christian Nationalists”: And I must say again, on faith, ask, what would Jesus do? These people that are, again, deciding that they're going to try to push on government bureaucracy - through government bureaucracies, their view of the bible? Christians don't even agree on their view of the Bible. Christian nationalists have totally twisted and distorted Jesus's words in the gospels. His exact words in the gospels being twisted and distorted. So, if Christians can't even sort through it, what are Christian nationalists doing trying to project their view of America from the perch of government bureaucracy? The morning program could have focused on the heroes that protected the center from the attack, like the security guard, but they decided to focus most of their segment on an apparent connection to the use of Bible verses “Christian Nationalists” in government, along with jabs for the Supreme Court. The transcript is below. Click "expand": MS NOW’s Morning Joe May 19, 2026 6:31:51 AM Eastern WILLIE GEIST: Joe, some reporting this morning too that that security guard who was killed outside the school stood between the shooters and the children inside and being called a hero this morning. Rightly so. JOE SCARBOROUGH: Yeah. Incredible eyewitness seeing him actually take a shot and then run inside to protect those inside. An absolute hero.  And, David Ignatius, just an absolute tragedy right now. You have historic levels of anti-muslim hatred across America. A rising tide of anti-semitism across America. The events of October 7th, and Gaza, and everything that's followed has led to a complete lack of dialogue and some of the places where it's needed the most badly on college campuses among our young people.  The hatred that is spreading online against muslims, against Jews, against Hispanics, against Asians, against, quote, “the others” is sad and unfortunate. I can tell you as someone evangelical, someone who was raised in the church, I do understand that there is a place for people of faith in government. But seeing - seeing this, this constant, this constant, un-American campaign by people posting on official U.S. Government websites that ‘We are a Christian nation’ and quoting bible verses on historic sites, that - it goes completely against what the First Amendment says.  And you, also, at the same time, have a lot of those people also say terrible things about Muslims, saying terrible things about, quote, the others. And unfortunately, anti-semitic slurs, anti-muslim slurs continue to skyrocket, and people lose their lifes as well. DAVID IGNATIUS: Joe, we're just tearing each other up in this country. I think we all feel it. There's something oppressive about it. And we're a country that just desperately needs good leaders. We look to the administration, Donald Trump, and often what we see is more polarization, more inflammatory rhetoric.  When you hear a story about a person like this security guard, just a guy standing in front of the building who has the courage to try to save people, because that's his job, and because that's what keeps our country and the place he was assigned orderly. You know, you think, okay, that's the spirit that gets us out of this. That multiplied by a million, by 100 million, that produces the country that we love and want to live in.  And, you know, I never want to give up hope on that. But this is this is a time when we're really under strain and that the institutions that should be helping us, like the Supreme Court, seem oblivious to some of these pressures, you know, a shooting almost every day somewhere. And we sail along with this extreme view of the Second Amendment. Sometimes it's just a depressing picture. But when you hear those stories of the individual heroes, you think, yeah, bang, that's still it. SCARBOROUGH: Yeah. And again, you're so right. I mean, the growing tide of gun violence and nothing happening post Sandy Hook, we thought there would be a reckoning. Just basic things that 90 percent of Americans support, like universal background checks. Republicans keep blocking that. Red flag laws. Republicans keep blocking that. Basic safety measures. Republicans keep blocking.  And I must say again, on faith, ask, what would Jesus do? These people that are, again, deciding that they're going to try to push on government bureaucracy - through government bureaucracies, their view of the bible? Christians don't even agree on their view of the Bible. Christian nationalists have totally twisted and distorted Jesus's words in the gospels. His exact words in the gospels being twisted and distorted. So, if Christians can't even sort through it, what are Christian nationalists doing trying to project their view of America from the perch of government bureaucracy?  Individuals? Fine. I celebrate that. I celebrate that when politicians, individuals talk about their faith, be they Muslim, be they Jewish, be they Christians or Hindu. That's America. But man, this, this, this hatred toward, quote the others. It leads, unfortunately, to terrible violence. (...)