MSNBC anchor Mika Brzezinski said that she and her husband, Joe Scarborough, have maintained contact with President Trump since their headline-making visit to Mar-a-Lago after the 2024 election.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s “Andy Cohen Live,” the “Morning Joe” co-host was pressed about whether the couple continued to engage with the president following the private meeting that drew widespread criticism.
“Yeah,” Brzezinski answered.
When Cohen expressed surprise, she responded, “It’s called our job.”
Asked whether Trump remained angry with the left-leaning pair, Brzezinski admitted she couldn’t always tell.
“I have a hard time answering that because he could be mad right now,” she said.
She added that maintaining relationships with political figures is part of reporting.
“I think it’s important to know the people that you’re covering and to have as much insight as possible.”
Brzezinski said that she and Scarborough have approached every administration the same way.
“Every single president that we’ve covered, we have known and we have known everybody in the White House and tried our best to get as much insight on and off the record as possible,” she said.
Her comments were the first on-the-record acknowledgment that contact with Trump continued beyond their initial visit to his Mar-a-Lago compiund in Florida, which was disclosed last November.
At the time, Brzezinski and Scarborough said the meeting was intended to “restart communications” in a fractured political climate.
The revelation of that trip sparked backlash across media and political circles. MSNBC staffers voiced unease, progressive commentators accused the couple of hypocrisy and critics on social media charged that the hosts were “normalizing” Trump after years of sharp on-air criticism.
Ratings for “Morning Joe” dropped in the weeks after the announcement.
Nielsen data showed a 15% decline in total viewers and a more severe 41% drop among adults aged 25 to 54, the demographic most closely watched by advertisers.
Brzezinski and Scarborough defended their decision at the time by arguing that access is fundamental to journalism, even when it involves political adversaries.
They stressed that the meeting was not about endorsing Trump but about ensuring they could report with full perspective.
The couple also said privately that they feared possible retaliation from a Trump White House, given the president’s history of publicly targeting perceived opponents. They described their outreach as both a professional obligation and a safeguard.
The controversy quickly spread beyond MSNBC. On “The View,” co-host Sunny Hostin accused the pair of “kissing his ring” and questioned their credibility as journalists.
Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized them for changing tone only after their ratings slipped, saying, “They saw their ratings.”
On Cohen’s show, Brzezinski also weighed in on Democratic politics, praising California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s use of social media to counter Trump.
“Half of the stuff he does is freaking hilarious,” she said.
“And then he’ll also, when talking about the issues, he’s dead serious. And he can articulate it probably better than anybody.”
She said Newsom’s style resonated because it mixed humor with substance at a time when Democrats have struggled to deliver consistent messaging.
“He’s in the zone. And he’s not held back by anything. He’s just going for it. And it’s good to hear someone expressing some of the concerns that half of America might be feeling—maybe more, maybe more at this point,” she told Cohen.
The Post has sought comment from the White House.
