Morning Joe Hosts Meet Trump, Spark Controversy

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' faced backlash from their audience and colleagues after revealing they met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, marking their first meeting in seven years. The hosts described Trump as 'cheerful' and expressed a desire to find common ground, although they acknowledged significant disagreement on many issues. This meeting has been criticized as 'normalizing' Trump, with MSNBC staff and viewers expressing feelings of betrayal and concerns about the implications for the network's credibility and ratings. Prominent voices within MSNBC, including Katie Phang, condemned the meeting, calling it a 'bad idea' and indicative of opportunism. In response to the criticism, Scarborough insisted that their intentions were not to defend Trump but to report on him. The fallout from this meeting could have significant repercussions for MSNBC as it navigates its identity amid declining ratings and viewer dissatisfaction.