MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, two of president-elect Donald Trump’s most rabid critics, just admitted to something none of their friends in the liberal media ever thought would happen.
Something that’s been nearly seven years in the making, but have managed to keep under wraps until today.
In a shocking about-face, Scarborough and Brzezinski revealed today that they had a face-to-face meeting last week with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
They said it was an important opportunity for those who disagree to speak with each other.
“My father often spoke with world leaders with whom he and the United States profoundly disagreed,” Brzezinski said, referring to diplomat Zbigniew Brzezinski. “That’s a task shared by reporters and commentators alike.”
For years, both Scarborough and Brzezinski have railed against Trump. But last Friday’s interview with Trump was the first time they’ve seen the man face-to-face in seven years.
Scarborough said they went over such topics as abortion, mass deportation, and threats of retribution against political opponents and media outlets.
Scarborough added that they didn’t see “eye to eye on a lot of issues, and we told him so.”
However, according to reports the unlikely meeting was about an agreement to “restart communications.”
Scarborough and Brzezinski added Trump was cheerful during the meeting and appeared interested in finding common ground with Democrats on major issues.
Brzezinski herself took the time to address viewers of her show and followers on social media seemingly upset with the Trump meet-up.
“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?” she said. “Five years of political warfare has deeply divided Washington and the country. We have 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 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. 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.”
Scarborough noted that Trump can’t seek another term so this could be an opportunity for “both parties to get to work,” and claimed top Democrats had confided to him they were open to working with Trump if the feeling was mutual.
“Don’t be mistaken,” Scarborough said. “We’re not here to defend or normalize Donald Trump. We’re here to report on him and to hopefully provide you insights that are going to better equip all of us in understanding these deeply unsettling times.”
Scarborough, a former Florida U.S. congressman, left the Republican Party in 2017 over his disagreements with Trump.
Brzezinski also revealed Monday that Scarborough called Trump the day after the assassination attempt against him in July, but other than that, they had not even spoken since 2020.
Until this past week.