MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, fierce critics of President-elect Donald Trump, say they traveled to Mar-a-Lago for a meeting with him to reopen lines of communication that would better serve their morning show viewers.
With feelings still raw two weeks after the election, their journey to Trump's Florida home hasn't gone over that well with many fans and critics of 鈥淢orning Joe.鈥�
The show's anchor team had been so critical of Trump that, in September, Scarborough said that 鈥渋t's not a reach鈥� to to Hitler. MSNBC the Monday after the assassination attempt on Trump this past summer.
On Monday's show, the hosts said they had reached out to Trump last Thursday and met with him the next day. 鈥淚t was the first time we have seen him in seven years,鈥� Brzezinski said.
She said Trump was 鈥渃heerful, upbeat,鈥� even as the three of them discussed issues they disagreed on.
鈥淲hat we did agree on was to restart communications,鈥� she said. Her father, the late Zbigniew Brzezinski, the national security adviser in Jimmy Carter's administration, often spoke with world leaders he disagreed with, and she said that's a job for journalists and commentators too.
鈥淔or those asking why we would speak to the president-elect during such fraught times, especially between us, I guess I would ask back, 鈥榃hy wouldn鈥檛 we?'鈥� Brzezinski said.
Trump confirmed the meeting in an interview with Fox News Digital. 鈥淚 very much appreciated the fact that they wanted to have open communication,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n many ways, it's too bad that it wasn't done long ago.鈥�
Not everyone reacted the same way. On 鈥淭he View鈥� Monday, co-host Sunny Hostin said the country needs a free press willing to speak truth to power and she didn't think it was necessary to travel to Mar-a-Lago to A co-host, Alyssa Farah Griffin, said she thought highly of the MSNBC hosts for recognizing how many people voted for Trump.
Jeff Jarvis, author of the blog and a retired journalism professor at the City University of New York, said online that 鈥渋t is a disgusting show of obeisance in advance.鈥�
Several conservative commentators weren't impressed either. Talk show host Buck Sexton, on X, called the meeting astounding. 鈥淭rump's victory is so complete, 鈥楳orning Joe鈥� has fully surrendered,鈥� Sexton wrote. Veteran cable news personality Greta Van Susteren called it
鈥淢orning Joe,鈥� like many shows on MSNBC, has seen its ratings drop precipitously since the election as its liberal audience takes a break. It's a post-election pattern similar to that experience in past years with viewers who supported the losing party. After a break, many usually return.
Neither host was available to speak to a reporter after the show, a network spokesman said. Scarborough seemed to anticipate criticism when talking about the decision to meet with Trump.
鈥淒on't be mistaken,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e're not here to defend or normalize Donald Trump. We're here to report on him and hopefully provide you with insights.鈥�
In the same , Trump said that he had an obligation to the American public to be open and available to the press. 鈥淚f not treated fairly, however, that will end,鈥� he said.
___
David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at der.
David Bauder, The Associated Press
