MSNBC’s Morning Joe Faces Ratings Plunge After Trump Meeting Controversy

MSNBC’s show Morning Joe is facing a significant drop in viewership after host Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. This meeting was surprising for many viewers, as Scarborough and Brzezinski have long criticized Trump.

Viewership numbers show a decrease. On Tuesday, Morning Joe had only 680,000 viewers, down 12% from the previous day. In the important demographic of adults aged 25-54, the show attracted only 86,000 viewers, again down 12% from Monday. This drop in ratings is significant: it represents a 38% decline compared to the average viewership for 2024. This Tuesday was also marked as the third-lowest-rated broadcast of the show this year.

The decline began when the hosts announced they wanted to “restart communications” with Trump. Many MSNBC viewers who oppose Trump switched channels immediately after this news. In the 6 a.m. hour, the show had 839,000 viewers, but this figure fell to 694,000 in the next hour, with a 38% drop in the key demographic.

Critics have been vocal about their disappointment. Some labeled the hosts’ actions as “disgusting” and accused them of being “double agents.” Despite this backlash, Scarborough defended the meeting, claiming there was a disconnect between social media reactions and calls they received, which he described as supportive.

Amid this controversy, some rival network executives commented on the show’s crisis, suggesting that Morning Joe must address the damage to its image. Even within MSNBC, colleagues have expressed concern, with host Katie Phang remarking that normalizing Trump is harmful.

According to reports, Brzezinski and Scarborough’s fears of possible Trump retaliation may have influenced their decision to meet with him. Their decision comes at a challenging time for MSNBC, which has seen a decline in viewership overall since Trump’s victory in 2016. Recently, MSNBC experienced its lowest ratings in 25 years for the key demographic.

As Comcast spins off MSNBC amidst the decline, employees, including Scarborough and Brzezinski, have expressed uncertainty about their future. The situation remains tense for the popular morning show, which is struggling to regain its former audience.