AP Photos O'Donnell taunts Tagg Romney

MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell ridiculed Tagg Romney on Thursday night, saying the oldest Romney son has “never actually taken a punch or thrown a punch.”

Toward the end of his show, “Last Word,” O’Donnell played a clip of Tagg Romney jokingly telling a North Carolina radio host he wanted to “take a swing” at President Barack Obama when the Democrat accused his father of lying during the second debate.


“OK, Taggart, let’s have a little talk, just you and me,” O’Donnell said. “When I hear you talk about talking a swing and taking punches, why do I get the feeling that you’ve never actually taken punch or thrown a punch? I didn’t have that luxury in the part of Boston that I grew up in. But in your rich, suburban Boston life, with your father filling a $100 million trust fund for you, I don’t know, I just get the feeling that things were kind of different for you.”

O’Donnell, a former Democratic Senate aide and television writer who grew up in the working-class neighborhood of Dorchester, adopted a strong Boston accent as he continued criticizing Tagg, who grew up in the upper-class suburb of Belmont, and shares a $100 million trust fund with his brothers.

“I know you’ve got a lot, a lot to be pissed off at these days, starting with the name Taggart, which you’ve got every right to be wicked pissed off at for every day of the 42 years of your life,” O’Donnell said. “So let me help you try to deal with all this aggression you’re feeling right now.”

At this point, O’Donnell got out of his chair and began walking around his set.

“You’re mad at President Obama for calling your dad a liar?” he continued. “Well, let’s get something straight, he didn’t call your father a liar. I did. The president just said that what your father said wasn’t true. I’ve been saying all year that your father is a liar. I’ve repeatedly said that your father lies and is trying to lie his way into the White House. So you want to take a swing at someone for calling your old man a liar? Take a swing at me. C’mon, C’mon. And don’t worry, there won’t be any Secret Service involved. And I’ll make it easy for you. I’ll come to you. Anytime. Anywhere. Go ahead, Taggart. Take your best shot.”