The typically animated host has never been shy about where he stands politically. A former speechwriter for Jimmy Carter, Matthews voted for George W. Bush in 2000, the first time he voted Republican in a presidential contest.
But the Iraq War soured him, and in recent years Matthews has earned a reputation as a cheerleader for the current administration. He has long been mocked by conservatives for his reaction to a 2008 speech by Barack Obama, famously saying on-air that he "felt this thrill going up my leg" as then-candidate Obama spoke.
After Obama's listless debate performance in 2012, Matthews was outraged and attributed the president's showing to not watching enough MSNBC.