MSNBC's "Morning Joe" opened with a pointed critique of the Republican Party, with hosts Joe Scarborough and Willie Geist arguing that the GOP has failed to grasp the mood of the American public as the Nov. 3 election approaches. With Wednesday marking exactly 20 days until Election Day, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has been crisscrossing the country to support his members as the party fights to hold onto its majority. All 435 House seats are on the ballot this cycle, and 218 are needed for a majority, making the Nov. 3 results decisive for control of the chamber.

One stop on Johnson's tour was Texas, where the GOP-led legislature redrew congressional district lines, shifting Democratic votes into more Republican-leaning areas. Mid-decade redraws are uncommon — district maps are typically redrawn only once every ten years, following the census. The party had hoped the effort would help it win at least 18 seats, but the realistic figure now appears closer to five, according to an Axios report last week.

Johnson has projected confidence in public, describing his party as "on offense." But a Fox News host pressed him on why he would be campaigning in Texas — a traditionally red state — if Republicans were truly on offense.

A rough interview with CBS News added to the difficult trip. "What do you say to voters, Republicans who say they like you, your values, your policies? But Republicans are in control of everything in Washington, and they're not happy with this economy," the network asked Johnson.

Johnson did not offer a strong response, saying he is frustrated too, and that everyone is. "But that's not related to policies. It's not related to the Republicans in office."

Even the CBS reporter was not persuaded. "To make that case, though, to a voter who knows, Republicans are running the House and the Senate and the White House...?"

The "Morning Joe" crew responded with a collective eye-roll, though Scarborough said he was grateful that Johnson was at least smart enough not to pivot to discussing the sexuality of Rep. James Talarico (R-Texas). The GOP has lately moved away from talking about the economy, food and fuel prices, focusing instead on what constitutes a "real man."

"He just lied and said it's not Republican issues. It is the war and it is tariffs. And that has driven up the prices of just about everything," Scarborough said. "And by the way, Donald Trump had warnings from every economist. He had warnings from people at the Fed (Federal Reserve). J. Powell tried to tell him tariffs are inflationary and you know they're inflationary. So Donald Trump tried to get him arrested. But tariffs are inflationary. The war is inflationary. And so he's (Johnson) lying and said we don't have anything to do with this. Americans just aren't that dumb."

Scarborough was referring to Jerome Powell, who chairs the Federal Reserve, the U.S. central bank charged with keeping prices stable. Tariffs — taxes imposed on imported goods — are closely monitored for the pressure they can put on consumer prices.

Geist noted that the redistricting battle Johnson cited was also a problem of the GOP's own making. "They did a lot of this," Geist said. "The seats is now having to fight for, perhaps he didn't anticipate that. But you're right — it is policy. The war with Iran was a choice that closed the Strait of Hormuz that he just referenced. The speaker did and has driven up oil and gas prices."

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway separating Iran from the Arabian Peninsula, is one of the world's most important transit routes for oil, which is why disruptions there are quickly felt in fuel costs.

Geist added that Trump has continued to blame his predecessor despite being in office for nearly two years. "President Trump yesterday, even in Alaska, was saying still — almost two full years in now — Biden, it's Biden's fault. It's Joe Biden's fault. Nobody believes that oil prices are lower now than they were under Biden. That's objectively untrue, publicly searchable on Google. So they're just flailing desperately on the core issue, which is the cost of living."