MSNBC staffers are criticizing “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski after they shocked their liberal audience by revealing their recent Mar-a-Lago meeting with President-elect Donald Trump. .
“Cowardice,” one MSNBC employee reacted to Fox News Digital. “What exactly am I doing? [anti-Trump historian] Tim Snyder warned on our air not to: Obey in advance. It’s unpleasant but frankly not surprising.”
The source said MSNBC’s rank and file are now “hugely contemptuous” of the network’s morning stars, saying it “feels like they’re just opportunists.”
‘Morning Joe’ co-host meets face-to-face with Trump for first time in seven years
“Morning Joe” hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough discuss their meeting with President-elect Donald Trump last week.
Others have taken to social media to voice their objections. MSNBC contributor Jennifer Rubin Called it “disgusting”. On Blusky, social media sites like X are growing in popularity with progressives. MSNBC host Katie Fang offered an indirect swipe at X, posting, “Normalizing Trump is a bad idea. Period.”
“Katie Fang is right,” an MSNBC employee told Fox News Digital. “Journalists don’t need access to their subjects to hold them accountable. None of this is credible. The obvious answer is plausible: they are opportunistic.”
Insiders expressed concerns that MSNBC would suffer a significant blow as a result of Mar-a-Lago, a meeting with left-leaning viewers that is already failing. Some are already calling for a boycott of the network.
“It feels serious,” he said. “I can’t even imagine [parent company] Comcast has this development in mind. But the MSNBC guys do.”
MSNBC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Another network insider defended the meeting and its goals to Fox News Digital, saying he found the criticism “curious” because the hosts challenged Trump on his rhetoric and positions at the meeting.
“It was a bad thing to voice concerns about threats against journalists and politicians,” he added.
Scarborough appeared to be anticipating the reaction at the Monday morning meeting.
“We’re not here to defend Donald Trump or normalize him,” he told viewers. “We’re here to report on it and hopefully provide you with insights that will better equip us all to understand these deeply troubling times.”
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FILE – Then-Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Mint Hill, NC. (AP Photo/Evan Vokey, File)
Scarborough and Brzezinski have emerged as two of Trump’s fiercest critics since he took office, a stark contrast to their relationship with him during the 2016 GOP primaries.
Brzezinski said Friday’s meeting was the first time he had seen Trump in seven years, and Scarborough added that he “didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, and we told him.” Scarborough said he went over topics such as abortion, Mass deportationand threats of retaliation against political opponents and media outlets. According to the hosts, the meeting was about an agreement to “restart communications”.
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“For those who ask why we would go talk to the president in such trying times, especially among us, I guess I would ask back – why wouldn’t we?” Brzezinski said. “Five years of political warfare have deeply divided Washington and the nation. We have been as clear as we know how to express our deep concerns about President Trump’s actions and words in the public debate. has gone
“But for about 80 million Americans, the election denial, the public trial, Jan. 6, was not as important as the issues that drove Donald Trump back to the White House with their vote. Joe and I realize that now It’s time to do something different, and that starts not just talking about Donald Trump, but talking with him.”
Scarborough and Brzezinski frequently interviewed Trump on their show during the 2016 Republican primaries. (Reuters/Scott Morgan)
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Trump spoke to Fox News Digital on Monday about the “very pleasant” meeting he had with the MSNBC hosts.
“I got a call from Joe Scarborough requesting a meeting for him and Micah, and I agreed that if there was such a meeting, it would be good,” Trump said in an interview. It will happen.” “A lot of things were discussed, and I really appreciated the fact that they wanted to have an open conversation … In a lot of ways, it’s too bad it wasn’t done a long time ago.
The meeting ended on a very positive note and we agreed to talk in the future, he added.
Fox News’ David Rotz and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
