MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' faces a post-election slump as co-hosts refuse to back down from their stance on the Trump meeting.

It is predicted that "Morning Joe," MSNBC's top daytime show, will end the year with lower ratings.

The viewership of Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski's long-running show has decreased by 35% among total viewers, with an average of 720,000 viewers, and by 37% among the demographic most sought after by advertisers, aged 25-54, according to Nielsen Media Research.

After Scarborough and Brzezinski disclosed their meeting with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago, viewership decreased by 17% among total viewers and more than a third of viewers in the key demo since the Nov. 18 broadcast.

Brzezinski and Scarborough met Trump for the first time in seven years, and they informed him that they didn't agree on many issues.

The meeting, according to the hosts, was about an agreement to "restart communications" and covered topics such as abortion, mass deportation, and threats of retribution against political opponents and media outlets.

"Brzezinski stated that the reason for speaking to the president-elect during such tense times, despite the division between them, is a valid question. He added that five years of political conflict have caused deep divisions in Washington and the country, and they have expressed their concerns about President Trump's actions and words in the coarsening of public discourse."

The revelation made by MSNBC hosts sparked a backlash from their liberal audience, with many pledging to boycott the program. Even one of their own colleagues, MSNBC commentator Jennifer Rubin, joined the fray and criticized the co-hosts.

Despite The Atlantic's David Frum implying they were living in "fear" with Trump's return to the White House, Scarborough and Brzezinski stood firm and defended the Trump meeting last week.

Scarborough stated that he is not fearful of leadership, as anyone who has worked in the front office of NBC and MSNBC over the past 22 years or served with him in Congress can attest to his lack of fear.

"We went to speak with the president-elect, but some people wrote false articles about us. However, we did what was expected of us in the corporate world - we kept quiet. We enjoyed our Thanksgiving and shrugged off any criticism of our guests and friends. But what we didn't realize was that the main issue was our use of the word "fascist" to describe Donald Trump's rhetoric during the campaign. We also had an off-the-record comment with the New York Times and the Washington Post."

Brzezinski interjected, saying, "I believe folks from The Atlantic might be doing that."

"Scarborough stated that if given the chance to speak with the incoming president and president-elect, reporters would take it. In fact, during a series of articles that falsely accused them, reporters said they would be fired if they didn't have the opportunity to speak with the incoming president. The New York Times and New York Post journalists, as well as those at The Washington Post, would be fired if they didn't take the opportunity to speak with the president. The Washington Post is particularly eager to speak with the president, despite their own attempts to do so."

"The only difference between our actions during that visit and what other media outlets, such as The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, do is that we were transparent. We actually informed you. However, I understand if you don't understand how the media works and are watching our show daily, you might be surprised. But for media reporters to lie and try to get clicks by pretending this is a shock, such as The Washington Post's reporters and columnists saying "How dare they go see him after they said he was a fascist," is their job."