‘Morning Joe’ co-hosts meet face-to-face with Trump for first time in seven years

MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, two of Donald Trump’s fiercest critics in the media, revealed Monday that they had a face-to-face meeting last week with the president-elect and said it was an important opportunity for those who disagree to talk to each other.

“My father often spoke with world leaders with whom he and the United States strongly disagreed,” Brzezinski said, referring to diplomat Zbigniew Brzezinski. “It is a task shared by both journalists and commentators.”

It was the first time they had seen Trump in seven years, Brzezinski said, and Scarborough added that they didn’t see “eye to eye on a lot of issues, and we told him that.” Scarborough said they went over issues such as abortion, mass deportation and threats of retaliation against political opponents and the media.

The show added that Trump was cheerful during the meeting and seemed interested in finding common ground with Democrats on important issues. Trump won a decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on November 5, winning the nation’s battleground states and also winning the first popular vote victory for a Republican in 20 years.

“Morning Joe” hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough discuss their meeting with President-elect Trump last week. (MSNBC)

DID TAYLOR SWIFT’S ENDORSEMENT OF KAMALA HARRIS MOVE THE NEEDLE ON THE 2024 ELECTION?

Brzezinski took a moment to respond to viewers, who may have been appalled that they would agree to speak with Trump, who they have repeatedly described as a threat to democracy.

“For those who ask why we would go and talk to the president-elect during such busy times, especially between us, I guess I would ask back — why wouldn’t we?” she said. “Five years of political warfare have deeply divided Washington and the country. We have been as clear as we know when expressing our deep concern about President Trump’s actions and words in the public debate.

“But for nearly 80 million Americans, election denial, public trials on January 6 were not as important as the issues that led them to send Donald Trump back to the White House with their vote. Joe and I realize that it is time to do something different, and that starts with not only talking about Donald Trump, but talking with him.”

The defensive tone about talking to Trump was notable when “Morning Joe” was upset over NBC’s hiring of Trump ally Ronna McDaniel earlier this year as a paid analyst. The show and several other MSNBC hosts spoke out publicly against McDaniel appearing on their airwaves, and her contract was terminated after less than a week.

President-elect Trump speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

CNN, MSNBC COULD RETURN TO RESISTANCE TV AFTER BEING RELIABLE ANTI-TRUMP NETWORKS AT FIRST

Brzezinski said Trump’s tenure would be a “consistent” presidency, but time will tell if it was “constructive.” She lashed out at threatening political opponents and also noted that impeachments and trials tend to make politicians into martyrs.

“Just ask Bill Clinton and Donald Trump,” she said.

Scarborough noted that Trump cannot seek a second term, so this could be an opportunity for “both parties to get to work,” and claimed that top Democrats had confided in him that they were open to working with Trump if the sentiment was mutual.

“Make no mistake,” Scarborough said. “We are not here to defend or normalize Donald Trump. We are here to report on him and hopefully provide you with insights that will better equip us all to understand these deeply troubling times.”

That might not sit well with some of their fellow MSNBC hosts or liberals media colleagues.

“Morning Joe” co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough stood out in their bullishness about Trump’s political chances in 2015 and 2016 and frequently interviewed him on their show, but they became two of his fiercest critics after he became president. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Americares)

JEN PSAKI SAYS DEMOCRATS LOST IN ‘WILDERNESS’ WITH NO CLEAR LEADER AFTER TRUMP’S VICTORY

Brzezinski also revealed Monday that Scarborough called Trump the day after the July assassination attempt, but other than that they hadn’t even spoken since 2020. MSNBC took “Morning Joe” off the air the Monday after the shooting in a controversial move. then.

Scarborough and Brzezinski, who are married, stood out in the 2016 cycle for their bullishness about Trump’s political chances early in the Republican primary, and they took heat for frequently hosting and interviewing the president-elect. But they became two of his staunchest critics when he took office, and Trump leveled at times intense personal attacks on the pair.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Scarborough, a former Florida U.S. congressman, left the Republican Party in 2017 over his differences with Trump.