MSNBC's Joe Scarborough launched a scathing critique of Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday, mocking both the sparse attendance at his recent Georgia speech and his theological advice to Pope Leo XIV. The Morning Joe host, a Georgia native, highlighted footage from a Turning Point USA event in Athens on Tuesday that showed a notably empty Akins Ford Arena.
Empty Seats Draw Football Comparisons
Despite the event being free to attend, only a couple thousand people showed up at the venue, which has a full capacity of approximately 8,500. Scarborough quipped about the visibly vacant seats, asking his production team, "Wait, hold on a second. Is that a Falcons football game? Can we see that? Can we see those seats again?"
Co-host Jonathan Lemire continued the joke by stating, "Yeah. The smallest crowd in Atlanta since..." to which Scarborough finished, "...since the last time the Falcons played. And I'm a huge Falcons fan. But this is Boring Point USA. Like that... That's not good."
Theological Advice to Pope Questioned
The criticism extended beyond crowd size to Vance's content. The vice president used his platform to warn Pope Leo XIV "to be careful when he talks about matters of theology." This comes as the pontiff, the first US-born pope, faces repeated attacks from former President Donald Trump.
Scarborough called Vance's remarks "utterly bizarre," noting that the 41-year-old Catholic convert was advising the leader of the entire Catholic religion. Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019 and has described himself as deeply religious.
Scarborough's Theological Critique
"People will look back one day and laugh, when they have the safety of distance, and laugh that you actually have a vice president sitting on stage warning the pope, God's representative here on Earth for the Catholic Church... on what he can and cannot say about theology - that he 'needs to be careful,'" Scarborough said.
He continued with pointed sarcasm: "Well, let me tell you something. I never hear those warnings when he's talking about abortion. I never hear those warnings when he's talking about traditional marriage. I don't hear those warnings when those warnings align with his political views."
War Context and Irony Highlighted
Scarborough contrasted Vance's theological concerns with global conflicts, specifically mentioning the Iran war that began with "the killing of over 150 young girls at a school that the United States lied about initially." He asked sarcastically, "Is the pope going to get involved in that? Does the pope think that Jesus Christ cares?"
The host joked that Vance had essentially become "a Catholic last week" and was now "lecturing the pope," calling it "like an all-timer" of arrogance. He predicted future historians would "have a big chuckle that anybody was ever that arrogant in that position."
Co-host Agreement and Historical Perspective
Lemire agreed completely, suggesting the incident might deserve its own chapter in history books. "There's a short list of people who probably can weigh in on matters of theology. I think the pope is probably on that list," he noted wryly.
Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV responded to Trump's attacks during the first day of his African trip on Monday, telling reporters he had "no fear of the Trump administration." The pontiff has made multiple general pleas for peace amid the Iran war, which Scarborough highlighted as contrasting with Vance's focus on theological correctness.
The entire episode underscores ongoing tensions between the Trump-aligned political figures and religious leadership, while also revealing the challenges of rallying support even for free political events in key battleground states like Georgia.
