Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski have taken to insufferable gloating about their prescience and condescending snootiness aimed at anyone or anything that might disrupt the Trump narrative they’ve bought into and helped to create. When it comes to the presidential race, the set of Morning Joe increasingly resembles the mean-girls table at the high-school cafeteria.

When a presidential candidate attacks Trump or simply proves inconvenient to Trump’s campaign, the response from the mean girls is typically, “Oh no she didn’t!” Mika Brzezinski’s favorite reactions to any suggestion that criticism of Trump will stick to him include eye rolls, poses of shock and disgust, and sarcastic bewilderment. Scarborough, meanwhile, loves to rehearse all the past times people said Trump was doomed and pretend in mock seriousness that this time he really is toast. The upshot is always the same: Nothing touches the Donald.

This is a key distinction. You don’t get in much trouble with the Morning Joe crew for criticizing Donald Trump, so long as you keep it low-energy. What earns you pushback is any suggestion that Trump can be vanquished. You can call Trump a racist or a fool, but don’t you dare suggest his racism or foolishness will cost him with voters!

Scarborough knows what a lot of people in Washington have been slow to learn: Trump doesn’t care what you say about his views, statements, and positions, so long as you describe him as a winner — in the polls and in life.