FILE – In this Oct. 11, 2017, file photo, MSNBC television anchor Joe Scarborough takes questions from an audience at forum at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, on the campus of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Apparently there was something in the water at MSNBC on Monday. Not only did embattled “Hardball” anchor Chris Matthews abruptly resign after over 20 years of hosting the show, but “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough went full-on fangirl over Pete Buttigieg by way of making an absolutely bizarre comparison.

Buttigieg dropped out of the race on Sunday, just a day after a disappointing finish in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary.

During a Monday morning segment, MSNBC’s Vaughn Hillyard spoke fondly of the Buttigieg campaign, and noted that he had talked to Buttigieg the morning of the Nevada primary, when he told Hillyard about how the field needed to be “winnowed.”

He said Buttigieg emphasized how there must be a candidate who could “truly counter” Bernie Sanders so he would not have an “insurmountable delegate” lead after Super Tuesday. Buttigieg’s decision to exit the field was made when he concluded after the SC primary that that candidate wouldn’t be him.

Hillyard also went on to note that Buttigieg and Joe Biden “exchanged voice mails” after he decided to drop out of the race. He would go on to endorse Biden Monday night.

When the segment flipped back to Scarborough and co-host/wife Mika Brzezinski, they both applauded Buttigieg’s “A+” campaign, but it was Scarborough who seemed especially impressed with how the former South Bend, Indiana mayor bowed out (bolded emphasis added):

“I’ve spent the past 25 years politely telling presidential candidates who needed to drop out of the race to protect their future viability to drop out and rarely did they listen,” Scarborough said to fellow MSNBC host Al Sharpton on “Morning Joe.”

“I would not presume to talk to Mayor Pete about that, but he made a wise decision,” he said.

“He ran a great campaign. Made a wise decision, and you know, George Washington won the war because he first became a master of strategic retreats during the Revolutionary War,” the host continued.

“It’s the same with politics. This was a strategic retreat for Mayor Pete, who ran a great campaign, but still has to figure out when he runs again how to get support from the black community.”

Watch:

This is just hilarious. Mayor Pete didn’t drop out of the race in order to sacrifice for the greater good of the country. He dropped out because he knew he had no real chance of winning. LOL. But yeah, he’s just like George Washington or something, Joe.

Total joke.