This is the August 18, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter.Subscribe hereto get it delivered straight to your inbox every Monday through Friday.

“Someday, your children will come across your disgusting and inhumane question. They will be sickened and embarrassed to have a parent be so callous and vindictive.”

— An official White House social media account, attacking CNN’s Kristen Holmes and her children after she asked the president a question 

Proverbs warns that whoever digs a pit for another will fall into it. 

Jon Ossoff hit the president hard at a rally in Atlanta on Sunday. If Donald Trump didn’t like what he said, why spend the next several days giving him more publicity?

This is the Trump team being trumped.

Ossoff threw a lot at the president. The White House seized on one line from a question CNN’s Kristen Holmes asked and extended the story two, three, four days — giving Ossoff exactly what he wanted. 

It’s doing this as Trump’s approval rating hits an all-time low of 33% and Republicans worry that even rock-solid red states like Iowa may be at risk in a blue wave.

If you’re a Republican on Capitol Hill, you’ve got to be pulling your hair out. 

The Trump team needs to stop digging — and start focusing on issues that actually matter to American voters. 

CHARTS OF THE DAY

WHAT THEY SAID

David Drucker on U.S. pullback from South Korea

“The president’s continued embrace of North Korea is exactly what China, Russia, and other American adversaries want: the splintering of U.S. global hegemony and our alliances. Those alliances are part of the reason our adversaries have a hard time expanding their reach — and now we’re doing the work for them.”

Retired Adm. John Kirby on Trump downplaying conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln 

“It’s incredibly disappointing that the commander in chief can’t at least show empathy and understanding for the stress and the strain that he has put these sailors and families through.”

Rep. Pete Aguilar on GOP accusations of communism 

“With the grift and the dollars that are going to the war — to the president’s own pocket — the American public is wondering what is going on here and why that money can’t be used for healthcare. Those are the things that people care about. So when you throw an attack calling someone a communist for asking those questions, it just doesn’t land.”

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From MS Now.