Why Morning Joe Hosts Met Trump

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley sparked a debate about the motives behind the meeting between Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, co-hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe, ” and president-elect Donald Trump. Haley suggested that the TV personalities were driven by a desire to boost their show's ratings rather than a sudden change of heart. The pair announced they had met with Trump in Florida to reopen communications, noting they hadn't had a face-to-face meeting with him in seven years. Trump himself indicated that such a meeting was long overdue. Brzezinski described Trump as upbeat and interested in finding common ground on divisive issues. She defended the meeting, asking why they shouldn’t engage with the president-elect in these fraught times. MSNBC has experienced a decline in ratings since Election Day, reflecting a broader trend of falling cable news viewership due to cord-cutting. Scarborough and Brzezinski, known for being critical of Trump, pledged to cover him fairly and honestly, stressing they weren’t there to defend him but to provide insights into a complex political landscape.