In the geography of penance, Canossa is now in Florida. Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, the couple anchoring MSNBC's morning show, took the path there and recounted their experience on air, on November 18. Having pounded Donald Trump during the campaign, likening him to a "fascist" and a "racist," they visited his Mar-a-Lago residence to turn the page, off-camera. Surprise: They discovered that the president-elect was eager to find "common ground with Democrats on some of the most divisive issues." On the same day, Trump confirmed that he planned to declare a national state of emergency to mobilize the military in an unprecedented operation to deport illegal migrants, a key campaign promise.
The presenters, on air since 2007 on the Morning Joe program, hadn't spoken to Trump since March 2020, apart from a brief call from Scarborough, a former Republican member of the House, in July, the day after the assassination attempt against the candidate in Butler, Pennsylvania. On set, Brzezinski justified herself by invoking the memory of her father, one of America's most illustrious diplomats, Zbigniew Brzezinski, who consorted with all the world's leaders while sometimes defying them. "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."
Asked about the meeting by Fox News, the president-elect welcomed the "extremely cordial" atmosphere. Before adding, "I expect this will take place with others in the media, even those that have been extremely hostile." Another MSNBC anchor, Katie Phang, responded to her colleagues, without naming them, on X: "Normalizing Trump is a bad idea. Period." Above all, the debate shows how reporting and facts are given less airtime, in favor of commentary, which costs less. Nikki Haley, the former candidate in the Republican primaries against Trump, quipped on X: "Let's be clear, Joe and Mika didn't suddenly see the light, they saw their ratings. They realized they needed Trump for their survival."
According to Nielsen Institute data, average ratings for MSNBC, the most left-leaning news channel, fell by 39% in the week following the election compared with October. In prime time, the slide was even greater (53%). CNN followed a similar slope. Meanwhile, the conservative Fox News channel, buoyed by the euphoria of victory, gained 21% in audience. In all, nine of Trump's cabinet appointees, including Pete Hegseth, the proposed new defense secretary, were or are contributors or anchors on Fox News.
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