Piers Morgan branded a ‘hypocrite’ after admitting he was very wrong about Trump

Piers Morgan admitted he was wrong about Trump, saying he never imagined his former friend would be “capable” of inciting a riot in the US Capitol.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, he said:

“There’s no doubt I never ever imagined the person I’ve known for 15 years would be capable of inciting a mob to attack the Capitol in America and attack democracy itself. He didn’t just cross a line, he trampled all over that line and he’s now a threat to American democracy. And to those who warned this was what was going to happen with Trump, you’ve been proven right.”

Ahead of Trump’s election in 2016, Morgan predicted that a Trump presidency would be “an awful lot more moderate” than his “outrageous” rhetoric might suggest. He added that he considered Trump to be someone with “warmth, a good humour [and] a sense of perspective”. 

He remained in contact with Trump after his election, even conducting his first international interview in 2018. While Morgan became an outspoken critic of his coronavirus pandemic response, he said in November that he still considered the president to be “a close friend”. 

He has now said he thinks Trump has “gone mad” and that there’s a “good argument” for his early removal from his office. He officially ended their friendship in a Twitter post, in which he said he’s “done” with the president. 

While some people praised Morgan for his change of heart, others criticised the broadcaster, saying it had come too late. 

The Capitol riots have forced people to reconsider their perspective on Trump and his presidency. Even some Republicans are now calling for his removal from office.

As Morgan put it, he “played down to the very worst expectations of his very worst critics” – and lives were lost in the process.