MSNBC’s Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski revealed they met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, marking their first face-to-face interaction in seven years.
The meeting, which took place last Friday, focused on a range of contentious issues, including abortion, immigration, and threats against political opponents and the media.
The hosts emphasized the importance of dialogue in addressing the nation’s deep political divisions.
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“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,” Brzezinski said during Monday’s broadcast.
“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. On Friday, we were given the opportunity to do just that. Joe and I went to Mar-a-Lago to meet personally with President-elect Trump. It was the first time we have seen him in seven years.”
The meeting covered a variety of divisive topics.
Scarborough noted that while the conversation was frank, it did not bridge all ideological gaps.
“We talked about a lot of issues, including abortion, mass deportation, threats of political retribution against political opponents and media outlets. We talked about that a good bit, and it’s going to come as no surprise to anybody who watches this show… that we didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of issues, and we told him so,” Scarborough said.
Despite their disagreements, the hosts emphasized the value of open communication.
“What we did agree on was to restart communications,” Brzezinski added. “My father often spoke with world leaders with whom he and the United States profoundly disagreed. That’s a task shared by reporters and commentators alike.”
According to Brzezinski, Trump appeared optimistic during the meeting, expressing interest in finding common ground with Democrats on several divisive issues.
“In this meeting, President Trump was cheerrful. He was upbeat. He seemed interested in finding common ground with Democrats on some of the most divisive issues,” Brzezinski recounted.
The hosts reflected on the significance of reaching out to Trump during a time of heightened political tension. “For those asking why we would go speak to the President-elect during such fraught times, especially between us, I guess I would ask back, why wouldn’t we?” Brzezinski said.
The hosts acknowledged the challenges of reconciling their differences with Trump while highlighting the concerns of millions of Americans who supported his return to the White House.
“Five years of political warfare has deeply divided Washington and the country,” Brzezinski said. “For nearly 80 million Americans, election denialism, public trials, January 6 were not as important as the issues that moved them to send Donald Trump back to the White House with their vote.”
Scarborough added, “We’ve been as clear as we know how in expressing our deep concerns about President Trump’s actions and words in the coarsening of public debate. But Joe and I realize it’s time to do something different, and that starts with not only talking about Donald Trump, but also talking with him.”
Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski reveal they traveled to Mar-a-Lago to “meet personally” with President-elect Trump in order to “restart communications” and set a “new approach” to their coverage of his administration. pic.twitter.com/zNKOpgTz9N
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The meeting signals a potential shift in tone between Trump and the Morning Joe hosts, who have often been critical of the President-elect.
Whether this renewed dialogue leads to common ground remains to be seen, but the hosts emphasized the importance of breaking through political gridlock to address the concerns of a deeply divided nation.
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