MSNBC staff members express disapproval of 'Morning Joe' co-hosts' meeting with Trump: "Unsurprising, but disgusting."

The "Morning Joe" co-hosts, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, are facing backlash from MSNBC staffers following their meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

"One MSNBC employee responded to Planet Chronicle Digital by saying, 'Cowardice,' after [anti-Trump historian] Tim Snyder warned on our air not to do so. It's disgusting but unfortunately unsurprising."

MSNBC's rank and file are now "largely disdainful" of the network's morning stars, feeling that they are "just opportunistic."

On Bluesky, MSNBC contributor Jennifer Rubin labeled the situation as "disgusting." Meanwhile, MSNBC host Katie Phang posted on X, stating that normalizing Trump is a "bad idea."

"Katie Phang, an MSNBC employee, told Planet Chronicle Digital that normalization (and its access bullshit) is not necessary for journalists to hold their subjects accountable. She added that none of it is believable and the obvious answer is that they are opportunists."

Some left-wing viewers are already calling for a boycott of MSNBC after the network met with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and the insider expressed concerns that the network will face significant backlash as a result.

"This development is likely to be taken seriously by the MSNBC people, but I can't imagine Comcast, the parent company, being concerned about it."

MSNBC did not immediately respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.

A network insider defended the meeting and its objectives to Planet Chronicle Digital, stating that the criticism was "curious" given the hosts confronted Trump about his rhetoric and views during the meeting.

They added that it was unclear when raising concerns about threats against journalists and politicians was a negative action.

Scarborough appeared to anticipate backlash to the meeting on Monday morning.

"He stated that their purpose was not to defend or normalize Donald Trump, but rather to report on him and offer insights to help viewers better comprehend the current unsettling times."

Since Trump took office, Scarborough and Brzezinski have become two of his harshest critics, marking a significant shift from their previous relationship with him during the 2016 GOP primary.

The hosts of "Morning Joe" met with Trump for the first time in seven years, and they didn't see "eye to eye on a lot of issues," Brzezinski said. They discussed topics such as abortion, mass deportation, and threats of retribution against political opponents and media outlets. The meeting was about an agreement to "restart communications," Scarborough added.

Brzezinski stated, "If someone is wondering why we would speak to the president-elect during such tense times, I would respond by asking, 'Why wouldn't we?' Five years of political conflict has caused a deep division in Washington and the country. We have made it clear that we have significant concerns about President Trump's actions and words, which have contributed to the coarsening of public discourse."

"While election denialism, public trials, and January 6 were not as significant to nearly 80 million Americans as the issues that motivated them to vote for Donald Trump, Joe and I recognize the need to change our approach and focus on both discussing and engaging with Donald Trump."

On Monday, Trump discussed his "extremely cordial" meeting with MSNBC hosts in an interview with Planet Chronicle Digital.

Trump stated in an interview that he received a call from Joe Scarborough requesting a meeting for him and Mika, and he agreed that it would be beneficial if such a meeting occurred. During the meeting, many topics were discussed, and Trump appreciated the open communication. He lamented that the meeting should have taken place earlier.

He stated that the meeting concluded positively, and we agreed to communicate in the future.

Planet Chronicle' David Rutz and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.