MSNBC is squirming over Joe Scarborough's friendship with Donald Trump
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough has an increasingly glowing opinion of his friend, Donald Trump — a fact that is making some people at his network squirm, CNN reports. According to sources who spoke anonymously, Scarborough's admiration for Trump has been described as "over-the-top" and "unseemly," with The Washington Post deeming Trump's appearances on the show like "a cozy social club."
"People don't like that Joe is promoting Trump," one person said.
Scarborough and his co-host, Mika Brzezinski, are described as being close friends with Trump and his family. A report about the hosts visiting Trump's room during the New Hampshire primary led to a small controversy that Scarborough dismissed by saying the two of them talked to Trump for "less than five minutes." Scarborough has also sought to clarify his stance by explaining a slip-up in which Trump called him a "supporter" was incorrect. "It's not support... and I would dare say that I am the only person who has hung up on Donald Trump on live television," he said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But that hasn't done much to calm nerves at MSNBC. And while Scarborough shot down the possibility of being Trump's vice president, he also admitted on a radio show that he'd do "just about anything to try to get the White House back."
"The higher-ups are definitely aware about what's going on. It's an issue," another MSNBC staffer said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Businesses are caught in the middle of ICE activitiesIn the Spotlight Many companies are being forced to choose a side in the ICE debate
-
Leadership: A conspicuous silence from CEOsFeature CEOs were more vocal during Trump’s first term
-
Saving for a down payment on a house? Here is how and where to save.the explainer The first step of the homebuying process can be one of the hardest
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
