Morning Joe says Trump ‘would kill reporters’ if he could get away with it

Broadcaster has clashed repeatedly with president since friendship broke down

TV host Joe Scarborough courted controversy when he claimed Donald Trump would “kill reporters if he could get away with it” like Vladimir Putin.

The broadcaster made the incendiary comments as he mocked the president for walking out on Lesley Stahl’s 60 Minutes interview over tough questioning.

Ms Stahl appeared to rattle Mr Trump hen she begin the interview by asking him if he “was ready for some tough questions.”

Mr Scarborough, a former friend of Mr Trump, said it was “fascinating” that the president found it “inappropriate” for Ms Stahl to grill him.

Then he compared Mr Trump to “an autocratic leader from eastern Europe.”

“Actually though he kills journalists, Vladimir Putin, on camera, actually seems a little more willing to answer tough questions when they are asked of him,' Mr Scarborough said on Monday’s Morning Joe.

"Donald Trump can't even handle that. Of course, Donald Trump would kill reporters if he could get away with it.

“'I think even his strongest supporters would admit Trump would do whatever he could get away with.”

Mr Trump left the White House interview abruptly with Ms Stahl after just 37 minutes, then took to Twitter to mask shame the journalist and complain about his treatment.

The White House then released their own footage of the interview before it aired on CBS on Sunday night and Mr Trump attacked Ms Stahl on the campaign trail.

She explained the fall-out from the interview in an introduction to the interview when it aired.

“We had prepared to talk about the many issues and questions facing the president, but in what has become an all-too-public dust-up, the conversation was cut short,” she said.“It began politely, but ended regrettably, contentiously.”

Mr Trump and Mr Scarborough’s relationship broke down after many years of the president being a regular guest on his MSNBC show.

The president has pushed baseless conspiracies theories over the death of an aide who died while working for Mr Scarborough when he was a Florida congressman.

The death of Lori Klausutis was ruled an accident after she collapsed and struck her head on a desk in Mr Scarborough’s Florida office.