On May 20, 2026, MS NOW hosts Joe Scarborough and John Heilemann reacted with amusement to a report about a failed plan by former President Donald Trump and Israeli officials to reinstall Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran's leader.

According to a New York Times report, the plan, which involved consulting Ahmadinejad, quickly fell apart when he was injured on the first day of the conflict by an Israeli strike.This left Ahmadinejad disillusioned with the initiative.

During a segment on 'Morning Joe,' the Times' Elizabeth Buhmiller described Trump's position on Iran as problematic and highlighted how the aborted plan revealed a lack of preparation.

Scarborough sarcastically commented on the absurdity of the situation, while Heilemann compared the scenario to a 'South Park' episode, underlining the bizarre and unplanned nature of the operation.The segment included humorous references to movies and dramatizations of U.S.intervention, underscoring how the plan's failure became a source of public ridicule.