On Monday, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, co-hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” revealed they had recently visited Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate to discuss national unity and the need to tone down political rhetoric.
Brzezinski shared with the show’s audience that this was the first in-person meeting between the couple and Trump in seven years, since they were last in contact face-to-face. “We didn’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of issues, and we told him so,” Scarborough remarked, referencing the scripted message on the teleprompter.
Scarborough and Brzezinski’s Mar-a-Lago visit raises questions about future collaboration
Brzezinski added that their main takeaway was the agreement to restart communication, pointing out that the couple had not spoken to Trump since early 2020, except for a personal phone call Scarborough made after an attack on Trump during a rally that summer.
Describing the meeting, Brzezinski said Trump appeared upbeat and open to finding common ground on some of the nation’s most contentious issues. She addressed the question of why they chose to meet with Trump during such charged times by replying, “Why wouldn’t we?”
Scarborough also mentioned that a close ally of Trump suggested to him that since Trump isn’t seeking re-election after 2024, “now could be the time to get to work.”
He added that several top Democrats, who frequently appear on his show, have also expressed their willingness to collaborate with Trump if he is open to it. For years, Scarborough and Brzezinski have been among Trump’s most vocal critics in the media. Their show is known to be one that Trump watches, and President Biden is also among its viewers.
According to a recent report by The New York Times, the network has seen a drop in viewership since Election Day, based on data from Nielsen Media Research. Scarborough emphasized on Monday that while they were not there to defend or normalize Trump, their goal was to report on him and provide insights to help viewers pass these challenging times.
