A leaked audio recording of Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski’s off-air conversations with Donald Trump has reignited concerns that the MSNBC co-hosts are too friendly with the Republican frontrunner.
The conversations, which took place during the commercial breaks at last week’s MSNBC “Trump Town Hall” event, feature the three talking jovially about the success of Trump’s campaign, his likelihood of winning South Carolina and Nevada, and the ineffectiveness of his opponents’ attack ads.
The audio, which was obtained by comedian and radio show host Harry Shearer, offered the latest evidence that the “Morning Joe” co-hosts are too friendly toward Trump, which has become a source of discomfort at NBC. Network insiders have chafed at what they described as Scarborough’s “over the top” and “unseemly” admiration for the real estate magnate who is leading the GOP field.
Shearer’s own take, upon the conclusion of the recording: “You can cut the adversarial tension there with a knife,” he quipped. “A butter knife, but still.”
One portion of the tape that received criticism on Twitter was misleading. It features Brzezinski saying, “You don’t want me to do the [questions] on deportation?” to which Trump replies: “That’s right. Nothing too hard, Mika.”
However, sources at MSNBC said that Brzezinski was speaking to her producer Alex Korson and that Trump was voicing his approval of the decision from the sidelines. Beyond that MSNBC has declined to comment on the tape.