Trump Reveals What Happened In Meeting with ‘Morning Joe’ Hosts

President-elect Donald Trump has shared more details about his 90-minute post-election meeting with the co-hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” which occurred last week following his decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.

Co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who are also married, discussed the encounter on their Monday broadcast, describing it as an effort to revive a relationship that had been dormant for nearly seven years.

“On Friday we were given the opportunity” to meet with Trump and voice concerns about some of his appointments, Brzezinski revealed. “Joe and I went to Mar-a-Lago to meet personally with President-elect Trump. It was the first time we have seen him in seven years.”

Scarborough noted that the discussion covered “a lot of issues including abortion, mass deportation, threats of political retribution against political opponents and media outlets.” This seemed to allude to figures like Rachel Maddow, who has controversially claimed that Trump would target her with extreme measures.

Although they acknowledged significant differences, Brzezinski emphasized, “what we did agree on was to restart communications.”

“We had not spoken to President Trump since March of 2016 other than a personal call Joe made to President Trump on the morning after the attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania. In this meeting, he was cheerful, he was upbeat, he seemed… interested in finding common ground with Democrats on some of the most divisive issues. And for those asking why we would go speak with the president-elect during such fraught times, especially between us, I guess I would ask back, why wouldn’t we?” she continued.

“Five years of political warfare has deeply divided Washington and the country. We have been as clear as we know how in expressing our deep concerns about President Trump’s words and actions in the coarsening of public debate. But for nearly eighty million Americans, election denialism, public trials, and January 6th were not as important as the issues that moved them to send Donald Trump back to the White House with their vote,” she said.

“Joe and I realize it’s time to do something different, and that starts with not only talking about Donald Trump but talking with him,” she concluded.

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Trump addressed the meeting during a Fox News interview, stating that to “Make America Great Again,” it is “vital” to maintain a “free, fair, and open media.” He added that he feels an “obligation” to engage with the press, including those who had treated him “badly beyond comprehension.”

Trump expressed optimism about America’s future, saying he is committed to transforming it into “the greatest and most powerful country in the world.”

“In order to Make America Great Again, it is very important, if not vital, to have a free, fair, and open media or press,” Trump remarked. He elaborated on his meeting with Scarborough and Brzezinski, saying, “I received a call from Joe Scarborough requesting a meeting for him and Mika, and I agreed that it would be a good thing if such meeting took place. We met at Mar-a-Lago on Friday morning at 8:00.”

Describing the meeting as “extremely cordial,” Trump said, “Many things were discussed, and I very much appreciated the fact that they wanted to have open communication. In many ways, it’s too bad that it wasn’t done long ago.”

He further shared that Scarborough and Brzezinski had congratulated him on running a “great and flawless campaign, one for the history books.” Trump added, “I really believe it was, but it was also a campaign where I worked long and hard — perhaps longer and harder than any presidential candidate in history.”

“We talked about various Cabinet members — both announced and to be announced. As expected, they like some very much, but not all,” Trump noted. “The meeting ended in a very positive manner, and we agreed to speak in the future.”

Trump concluded by saying, “I expect this will take place with others in the media, even those that have been extremely hostile.”