Hosts of Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, visited President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday with the intention to “restart communications.”
During Monday’s Morning Joe broadcast, Brzezinski shared the motivation behind their visit, saying, “over the past week, Joe and I have heard from so many people, from political leaders to regular citizens, deeply dismayed by several of President-elect Trump’s cabinet selections, and they are scared. Last Thursday, we expressed our own concerns on this broadcast, and even said we would appreciate the opportunity to speak with the president-elect himself.” This marked their first conversation with Trump in “seven years.”
Scarborough elaborated on the discussions, stating, “We talked about a lot of issues, including abortion, mass deportations, threats of political retribution against political opponents and media outlets.” He noted their differences but also acknowledged a mutual agreement to “restart communications.”
Brzezinski referenced her late father, Zbigniew Brzezinski, who served as national security advisor to President Jimmy Carter, explaining, “often spoke with world leaders with whom he in the United States profoundly disagreed. That’s a task shared by reporters and commentators alike.” She also mentioned that Scarborough had personally reached out to Trump following the assassination attempt in Butler, PA. During their meeting, she found Trump to be “cheerful” and “upbeat,” and he “seemed interested in finding common ground with Democrats on some of the most divisive issues.”
In anticipating the backlash from their meeting, Brzezinski stated, “Why wouldn’t we” talk to Trump since “five years of political warfare has deeply divided Washington and the country” and highlighted that for many Americans, issues overlooked during the Biden-Harris administration, such as the January 6 special committee, “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 realized it’s time to do something different. And that starts with not only talking about Donald Trump, but also talking with him,” she added.
As expected, the reaction on X was swift and critical. A wide array of journalists, commentators, and social media users were quick to call out Scarborough and Brzezinski for perceived hypocrisy. The Daily Mail reported on the backlash, which included accusations of “shamelessness” regarding their decision to meet with Trump, with many commenters recalling their previous characterizations of him as a fascist, even likening him to Adolf Hitler.
“Hitler getting a lot more meeting requests than I would’ve thought,” remarked Republican strategist and CNN panelist Scott Jennings, while Free Press columnist Eli Lake offered, “Why would Trump bother talking to these people other than to urge them to seek mental health counseling?”
Byron York, Chief Political Correspondent for the Washington Examiner, commented, “Annals of shamelessness: They call Trump a fascist, and much, much more, and then, just 22 days after his ‘Nazi-like’ rally, they fly to Florida for an audience.”
