Jen Psaki Lets the Mask Slip, Says the Quiet Part Out Loud About MSNBC

MSNBC host Jen Psaki acknowledged this week that her network’s liberal audience doesn’t tune in for fair or balanced reporting on President Donald Trump — instead expecting consistently negative coverage of the current commander in chief.

Speaking on Tuesday during an appearance on “The Grill Room” podcast hosted by Dylan Byers, Psaki was candid about the expectations of the network’s viewership and the editorial direction of MSNBC, where she currently hosts a weekday show.

BREAKING: 🚨 MSNBC host Jen Psaki admitted on Tuesday that the cable news network’s liberal-leaning audience expects coverage of President Trump that is “typically not going to be positive.” -NY POST pic.twitter.com/pwYxd6k3dr

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“There’s obviously a rooted value in the kind of … that MSNBC viewers expect of like we’re going to talk about the opposition, and we’re going to talk about what the opposing party is up to, in terms of the Democrats,” Psaki told Byers.

“And, we’re also going to talk about Trump, and it’s typically not going to be positive. I don’t think anybody watching expects it to be positive, right?”

And Here it Is!

MSNBC host Jen Psaki ADMITS her network will be biased against President Trump when covering the news:

“We’re going to talk about what the opposing party is up to, in terms of Democrats, and we’re going to talk about future leaders and things. And, we’re also… pic.twitter.com/rxO2nojCXj

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Psaki, who previously served as White House press secretary for Joe Biden, admitted that while each show at the network has some flexibility in content and tone, there is an underlying uniformity in how topics like Trump are covered.

“There’s not like a North Star thing written on a card, and everybody does it slightly differently but I think that’s fairly the vibe,” she added.

Despite featuring some Republican guests on her program, Psaki claimed she has never faced any pressure from MSNBC leadership to adjust her programming to appeal to a broader or more centrist audience.

“I have not experienced this like, ‘You have to move to the center, you have to have Republicans on, you have to be more moderate, you can’t say that thing,’” Psaki said.

“What’s unique is that every show kind of has a bit of a North Star, but the vibe is, kind of, under the same umbrella.”

Her comments come amid a major shakeup at MSNBC, led by new network president Rebecca Kutler.

As part of the overhaul announced in February, Psaki was promoted to a new primetime slot — taking over the 9 p.m. time slot on Thursdays and Fridays, replacing outgoing host Alex Wagner.

Wagner, who previously held the full-time primetime position, will remain with MSNBC as a senior political analyst.

Other changes include adjustments to programming involving hosts Ayman Mohyeldin, Jonathan Capehart, Katie Phang, and Jose Diaz-Balart. Longtime anchor Joy Reid, known for her outspoken criticism of Trump, has been removed from the lineup entirely.

The shakeup also affects “The Rachel Maddow Show,” which will now air only on Monday nights rather than its previous four-day-a-week schedule.

During the interview, Byers asked whether MSNBC could ever evolve into something more than “a scream pillow for the left.”

Psaki responded by praising Maddow’s influence, especially during President Trump’s first term.

“First of all, there is only one Rachel Maddow,” she said.

Psaki noted that Maddow had emphasized the importance of avoiding fear-based programming.

“People are scared at home, you have to give them some sense of what else is also happening.”

Psaki joined MSNBC in May 2022 after leaving the White House.

Following Biden’s poor performance in a June 2024 debate against President Trump — a debate widely viewed as a turning point in the 2024 election — Psaki criticized Biden’s mental sharpness.

Shortly thereafter, she was the one to break the news to MSNBC viewers that Biden would not seek re-election.

Reflecting on the current political landscape, Psaki said the Democratic Party lacks a clear leader and that new approaches will be necessary moving forward.

“What is clear is that things shouldn’t be done how they were done in the past,” Psaki said.