Joe Scarborough argues Trump will benefit from low expectations: 'Obama came in as black Jesus'

Joe Scarborough argued Wednesday that Donald Trump is benefiting from low expectations.

During a "Morning Joe" panel, the MSNBC host implied that President Barack Obama disappointed many voters who had high expectations for his presidency.

"Obama came in as black Jesus. I don't want to come in as redneck Jesus, if I'm a president of the United States. You want to come in like Ronald Reagan where people underestimate you," Scarborough said.

Scarborough also argued that left-leaning writers had "done Donald Trump a favor" by highlighting support for Trump from white supremacists, including a video that showed members of a group giving Nazi salutes in honor of Trump's electoral victory at a conference in Washington, DC.

"You all are fools. If you hate Donald Trump, and you want to destroy Donald Trump, you're doing it the wrong way," Scarborough said. "People that I respect - you keep tweeting about Nazis and this and that."

He added: "There were 200 freaks in a public building. I don't know why they were allowed in a public building. But you would think that Donald Trump is bringing the Third Reich to America. I've heard, 'He's a crypto-fascist, he's going to rip up the Constitution of the United States of America.'"

Despite his vehement criticism of Trump throughout much of the general election, the MSNBC host has recently praised many of Trump's political decisions, while skewered Democrats and left-leaning writers for allegedly misunderstanding the electorate.

The New York Times reported earlier this week that Scarborough was informally advising Trump. Scarborough was scrutinized for what critics saw as coziness with Trump during the GOP primaries, before the "Morning Joe" hosts pushed back on some of Trump's proposals, including a plan to bar all Muslims from entering the US.

Many media outlets have indeed highlighted the desire among some of Trump's supporters for authoritarian-style leadership.

Earlier this month, Trump appointed former Breitbart News head Steve Bannon as his chief White House strategist. Bannon has told Mother Jones his site was a "platform for the alt-right." His appointment was quickly praised by users on the white supremacist site Stormfront, by former KKK leader David Duke, and by other alt-right and white-nationalist groups.

For his part, Trump disavowed support from the alt-right Tuesday.

"I condemn them. I disavow and I condemn," Trump said during an interview with the New York Times. "I don't want to energize the group, and I disavow the group."