In a surprise announcement this morning, Morning Joe co-anchors Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the two fire-brand Trump critics of MSNBC, said that they visited Donald Trump and his tea, at Mar-a-Lago Friday. This was the first time they met him in person in seven years. “We didn’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of issues and we told him so,” Joe Scarborough said explaining the genesis of the meeting and the need they felt to restart communications, added Mika.
In 2018, Donald Trump called them Crazy Mike and Psycho Joe and the husband-wife duo said they have not spoken directly to Trump since March 2020 except for a call Scarborough made to Trump after the attempt on his life in Pennsylvania.
Mika said Trump was cheerful and upbeat at the meeting and was interested in finding common ground with Democrats on some of the most divisive issues.
“For those asking why we would go speak to the president-elect during such fraught times, especially between us, I guess I would ask back – why wouldn’t we?” she said. “Five years of political warfare has deeply divided Washington and the country. We have been as clear as we know how in expressing our deep concerns about President Trump’s actions and words in the coarsening of public debate. But for nearly 80 million Americans, election denialism, public trials, January 6th, were not as important as the issues that moved them to send Donald Trump back to the White House with their vote. Joe and I realize it’s time to do something different, and that starts with not only talking about Donald Trump, but also talking with him.”
Brzezinski said it seemed reasonable to patch things up, given the country’s divisions and the fact that Mr. Trump is not seeking reelection. “We know this will be a consequential presidency. The question is whether it will be constructive,” she said.
Scarborough, a former Florida US congressman, left the Republican Party in 2017 over his disagreements with Trump.
‘You bent the knee’: Major outrage from viewers
The announcement followed major outrage on social media with Democrat supporters calling Morning Joe dead. Some social media users commented that their announcement looked like a hostage video.
“This is why people don’t trust the mainstream media anymore. Joe and Mika who constantly attack “fascist” Trump on their show, went to Mar a Lago to talk with Trump over the weekend,” the X handle Republicans against Trump posted.
Scarborough and Brzezinski pre-empted the outrage and said they would not defend Trump on their show. “Don’t be mistaken,” Scarborough said. “We are not here to defend or normalize Donald Trump. We are here to report on him and to hopefully provide you insights that are going to better equip all of us in understanding these deeply unsettling times.”
