MSNBC made the decision to pull its flagship morning program "Morning Joe" from airing on Monday in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, according to a report by CNN.
Viewers tuning in to watch the typically anti-Trump program, hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, were instead greeted with continued NBC News special reporting on Saturday's attempt on Trump's life. An MSNBC spokesperson stated that "Morning Joe" would resume its regular broadcast on Tuesday. CNN reported that a person familiar with the decision said it was made partly due to concerns that one of the show's many guests over its four-hour broadcast "might make an inappropriate comment on live television that could be used to assail the program and network as a whole."
The decision to remove the show from the airwaves was reportedly made by Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, in consultation with MSNBC president Rashida Jones and the show's co-hosts. The move by MSNBC to keep "Morning Joe" off the air surprised political observers, with some conservatives arguing that it demonstrated a lack of trust in one of the network's most high-profile shows to sensitively cover a fraught situation. "The fact that Morning Joe's own network can't trust its flagship brand not to spew reckless and inflammatory crap during breaking news tells you all you need to know about the credibility of the MSNBC line-up," a veteran Republican consultant told Fox News Digital.
The decision also drew criticism from some liberal voices. Jeff Jarvis, a liberal journalist, expressed his frustration on X, saying, "What the f---, MSNBC? You preempted your excellent weekend programming… and now you've silenced [Morning Joe] in favor of your anodyne streaming news cos-play called Now? This is when we need the analysis and conversation these shows bring us (yes, with controversy; that is how public discourse works through it: with discussion). It is shocking that NBC/Comcast do not understand their own company's programs and raison d'etre."
Scarborough and Brzezinski have a complex history with Trump. Initially supportive of his political chances in 2015 and 2016, they became some of his harshest critics after he assumed the presidency. The show has been known for its strong anti-Trump rhetoric in recent years, with hosts and guests frequently portraying Trump as an authoritarian threat to the nation.
The assassination attempt on Trump occurred during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The former president was wounded in the ear by a would-be assassin's bullet. The shooter killed one attendee and critically wounded two others before being killed by law enforcement.
Both Republicans and Democrats have called for Americans to lower the temperature and unite in the wake of the attempted assassination. Trump is expected to accept the 2024 Republican nomination for president this week in Milwaukee. MSNBC did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the decision to pull "Morning Joe" from its Monday lineup.
"Given the gravity and complexity of this unfolding story, NBC News, NBC News NOW and MSNBC have remained in rolling breaking news coverage since Saturday evening," a spokesperson for NBCUniversal News Group said in a statement to CNN. "As we continue to cover this story into the week, the networks will continue to cross simulcast, alternating between NBC News, NBC News NOW and 'MSNBC Reports,' so there is one news feed covering this developing situation."
