I used to go through phases with the Hit MSNBC Marriage Comedy Morning Joe.
There were times when I could tolerate it, depending on who the guest was. If the guest was good enough I could put up with Joe Scarborough’s bloviating while Mika Brzezinski looked annoyed, although I never found it all that cute. Kind of seemed like they could be an unpleasant couple to be around, to be honest. But sometimes the political discussion could be interesting.
There are times when I just can’t with it anymore, like in the lead-up to the 2022 election when it seemed like they were bound and determined to run with the “worst crime ever” storyline pushed by Republicans. Given they were telling everyone that New York City was unlivable due to the crime, they could arguably be blamed for the fact that New York was one of the few places the so-called Red Wave showed up that year. And now I think I might be permanently out due to Joe and Mika’s little visit to Mar-A-Lago to bend the knee to Donald Trump.
So, with that in mind, I did not see in real time the David Frum Morning Joe appearance that led to his writing about it for The Atlantic. This appearance underscores a larger, unsettling trend in media amid the backdrop of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. As Frum recounted in his piece, a flippant remark about Pentagon nominee Pete Hegseth’s well-publicized drinking habits prompted an immediate backlash from the show’s producers, an on-air apology, and his abrupt exit from the set.
“If you’re too drunk for Fox News, you’re very, very drunk indeed,” said Frum. From there, a producer in his earpiece warned him to stop with that kind of comment, and then he was escorted off the set.
After the commercial break, Brzezinski read an apology, stating that there are “a lot of good people who work at Fox News who care about Pete Hegseth.” Notably, she did not refer to them as “very fine people.”
This incident reflects how Trump’s re-election seems to be reshaping media landscapes seemingly based on fear, with networks appearing more cautious about the tone and content of political commentary. In this heightened climate, even a joke with a factual basis—rooted in prior reporting—provoked an overreaction, suggesting a chilling effect on journalistic critique as Trump’s influence looms.
One key aspect of Frum’s story is the broader implication for journalistic freedom under a Trump-influenced media culture. Trump’s presidency was marked by relentless attacks on the press and a barrage of defamation lawsuits intended to stifle dissent. As Frum notes, the threat of legal retaliation has already prompted media outlets to self-censor. With Trump poised to exert influence over the judiciary and his allies emboldened networks like MSNBC might fear not only lawsuits but also backlash from his fervent base. Throw on top of that reports that Comcast, MSNBC’s parent company, is considering spinning off the network to someone else. Frum’s anecdote, therefore, serves as a microcosm of the growing tension between maintaining critical journalism and navigating the legal and political minefields of the post-2024 election era.
The reaction from Morning Joe also highlights an apparent paradox in how media outlets are handling Trump-era controversies. While outlets like MSNBC have built their reputations on challenging Trump’s rhetoric and policies, the quick apology for Frum’s comment—framed as respect for “good people” at Fox News—raises questions about corporate priorities. Is this newfound caution a strategy to avoid partisan escalation or a concession to Trump’s political resurgence? As the stakes of the 2024 election become clearer and clearer, this episode invites reflection on whether media companies are equipping themselves to stand firm against renewed assaults on press freedom or are just succumbing to the pressures of appeasement.
As if that wasn’t enough, yesterday morning Scarborough mentioned the Frum incident, disagreed with what Frum wrote, and then went on a very strange and extended rant about people criticizing them for going to Mar-A-Lago. This seems to be par for the course for these types of moments where a prominent media person is criticized for kowtowing in some way to Trump. Just throw a fit and pout, and not listen to anything or anyone.
For their part, Joe and Mika were absent from the show this morning, but calm down everyone, it’s not what you think.
The last word goes to Vic Chestnutt.
