MSNBC canceled its flagship AM program “Morning Joe” on Monday in response to the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
Viewers who tuned in expecting a staunchly anti-Trump show hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were instead treated to a continuation of NBC News' special coverage of Saturday's assassination attempt on Trump. A spokesman said “Morning Joe” will return to the air on Tuesday.
CNN reported that a person familiar with the decision said it was made over concerns that one of the show's many guests “might make inappropriate comments live on air and bring criticism of the show and the network as a whole” during the four-hour broadcast.
CNN reported that NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde made the decision to end the show in consultation with MSNBC President Rashida Jones and the show's co-hosts.
Biden calls “Morning Joe” and takes defiant stance on campaign: “I'm not going anywhere”
MSNBC pulled its flagship and staunchly anti-Trump show, “Morning Joe,” from the air starting Monday in response to the assassination attempt on former President Trump. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
MSNBC's move to pull “Morning Joe” shocked political commentators, with some conservatives saying it showed one of the network's most highly-watched programs could not be trusted to cover tense situations with discretion.
“The fact that the Morning Joe network itself cannot be trusted to not spew reckless, inflammatory drivel during breaking news stories tells you everything you need to know about the credibility of the MSNBC lineup,” a veteran Republican consultant told Fox News Digital.
Others shared their opinions on X about MSNBC canceling its flagship morning show on a “big day” for politics.
The news has also upset the left.
Liberal journalist Jeff Jarvis was outraged at X: “What the hell is this MSNBC doing? They preempted a great weekend show and now they've silenced us? [Morning Joe] “Are you in favor of a mediocre streaming news cosplay show called Now? Times like these are when we need the analysis and dialogue (yes, controversy – that's how public discourse works, through debate) that these shows bring. It's shocking that NBC/Comcast doesn't understand their own programming and reason for existence.”
An MSNBC spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Messrs. Scarborough and Brzezinski have a complicated relationship with Trump. They were bullish on his chances of winning in 2015 and 2016 and frequently interviewed him on their shows, but have since become his fiercest critics since taking office.
Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump is escorted off stage following an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The show's hosts and guests have repeatedly described Trump as an authoritarian threat to the country. Known as one of President Biden's favorite shows and beloved by the liberal establishment in New York and Washington, the political talk show has taken on new clout in recent weeks because of Biden's political quagmire.
Biden called into the show this month and adamantly declared he would remain in the presidential race in 2024, despite concerns about his chances of reelection.
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President Trump was shot in the ear by an assassin during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, who killed one protester and seriously injured two others before being shot and killed by police.
President Trump is scheduled to accept the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election in Milwaukee this week.
This is breaking news, please check back for updates.
David Rutz is a senior editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter: @davidrutz.