MSNBC says network won’t tone down coverage of Donald Trump after pulling ‘Morning Joe,’ staffers were peeved at decision
After pulling “Morning Joe” from the air on Monday following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life, MSNBC says it’s going back to business as usual.
Staffers were peeved at the decision to yank hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough off the air, according to sources.
One told us it was directive from the top for hosts to “tone down” coverage on Trump in wake of the shocking shooting at Saturday’s Pennsylvania rally.
A spokesperson for the network, however, denied to Page Six that there’s any top down directive to tone down coverage on the Republican nominee and former president.
We’re told that network hosts Joy Reid, Rachel Maddow and Nicole Wallace — some of Trump’s most vocal critics on the network — will be in their anchor chairs hosting special coverage on the Republican National Convention throughout the week.
Brzezinski and Scarborough will return to their show on Tuesday morning.
An MSNBC insider told us Brzezinski and Scarborough’s absence on Monday was “overblown,” and that the duo were simply yanked for breaking news coverage led by MSNBC anchors Katy Tur and veteran Andrea Mitchell.
“Morning Joe” was sidelined because, “This was a moment to cover [the incident] as facts only. It was 24 hours a day and the network pulled all the resources in one big feed. Programming will continue as it is,” the insider said.
A NBCUniversal spokesperson on Monday denied a CNN report that the liberal network replaced “Morning Joe” with breaking news to avoid embarrassment from hosts and pundits saying anything inappropriate about Trump.
“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,” the rep told The Post.
Brzezinski and Scarborough have not commented.
On Sunday, Scarborough posted on X, “Our family is praying this morning for President Trump, those injured [Saturday], and for the loved ones of the American tragically killed.”
