Viewership Decline for ‘Morning Joe’ Following Trump Meeting

MSNBC‘s flagship morning news show «Morning Joe» has observed a noticeable decline in viewership following the announcement of a meeting between its co-hosts and President-elect Donald Trump. The meeting between Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Trump took place at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and was disclosed during the Monday morning broadcast.

According to Nielsen ratings, «Morning Joe» averaged 839,000 total viewers during the inaugural 6 a.m. ET hour on Monday with 113,000 in the crucial advertiser-targeted demographic of ages 25-54. This number further declined in the 7 a.m. hour, dropping to 694,000 total viewers and only 70,000 in the key demographic. The decline runs contrary to the show’s usual ratings trends, which tend to increase as more Americans tune in after waking up.

The backlash from the liberal viewers notably intensified after the revelations of the meeting. Many took to social media platforms to voice their outrage, including prominent figures such as anti-Trump comedian Rosie O’Donnell and Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin. Rubin took to Twitter to urge the audience to discontinue watching the show.

On the air, Scarborough and Brzezinski asserted that the meeting, their first with Trump in seven years, covered vital topics including abortion rights and media criticism. They acknowledged not seeing «eye to eye on a lot of issues» with the president-elect. Brzezinski remarked on the necessity of maintaining communication channels given the political division within the country.

Within MSNBC, reactions to the Mar-a-Lago visit have varied widely. Some employees voiced concern over the show potentially yielding to political pressures, while others underscored the importance of maintaining access to the president-elect as part of comprehensive journalism. An MSNBC host, Katie Phang, labeled the ongoing interaction with Trump as problematic.

Meanwhile, fears that the new administration might retaliate against perceived political adversaries have arisen among MSNBC staff. These concerns are spurred by previous antagonistic statements from Trump and his allies, such as Steve Bannon, who recently suggested a future Justice Department could target media figures.

The internal debate within MSNBC mirrors broader unease among media outlets about balancing rigorous political reporting with the risks of governmental retribution. As the conversation continues, Scarborough says he has received supportive messages voicing understanding of his decision.

An official from MSNBC declined to comment further on the issue. The ongoing ratings challenge for «Morning Joe» coincides with a particularly challenging period for MSNBC, which recently experienced one of its least viewed weeks following a lackluster performance by Democrats in recent polls.