NewsNation host Chris Cuomo has explained the differences between his conversation with President-elect Donald Trump and the one held by Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
According to Mediaite, the former CNN anchor touched on the topic on the December 31 episode of his podcast, The Chris Cuomo Project, where he reflected on the biggest news stories of 2024.
One particular topic was the assassination attempts on Trump, one on July 13, 2024, while he was giving a speech at a rally in Pennsylvania, and another on September 15, 2024, while he was playing golf in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Following the arrest of a man over the alleged plot to kill the incoming president on a Florida golf course, Cuomo said he called Trump in an act of “humanity.”
“That assassination – that’s why I called him,” Cuomo explained. “But I wasn’t doing what Joe and Mika did. I’m not looking to make up with Trump.”
In November, Scarborough and Brzezinski faced backlash after they revealed they traveled to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump following his 2024 presidential victory. Defending their decision, Brzezinski stated, “Joe and I realized it’s time to do something different and that starts with not only talking about Donald Trump but also talking with him.”
On his podcast, Cuomo continued to explain his decision to call Trump, noting, “I believe that Donald Trump has disqualified himself from office in this country with his behavior, words and deeds. It doesn’t mean I’m not going to be fair to him as a journalist.”
He continued, “I called him to say, ‘I am sorry that people in the media are playing this down like it didn’t really happen to you, or that it’s not that big a deal. That sucks. And I feel for your family and your grandkids. I don’t know how you’re dealing with it right now. I don’t know how they’re letting you stay in the race.’”
Cuomo went on to say he thought Trump was “incredibly brave” to stay in the race before returning to his thoughts on the Morning Joe hosts.
“I’ll give [Trump] the benefit of the doubt. I’ll see what happens here. It doesn’t serve me not to,” he stated. “But that’s why I did it. I wasn’t doing a Joe and Mika… going down there trying to kiss his ass so that I could get access. I don’t give a s*** if I have access.”
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He added, “I think NewsNation should [have access]. I think he’s making a mistake. The only real home for independent critical thinkers in the media. But that’s on him. I don’t care if it’s with me. That’s the truth. I reached out to him because I thought that this was a moment that demanded humanity, and it wasn’t receiving it.”
Following their meeting with Trump, Scarborough and Brzezinski faced criticism from Morning Joe viewers and critics, such as former MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann, Rosie O’Donnell, and Atlantic writer David Frum.
Last month, Scarborough responded to critics in a 20-minute rant, denying he was “fearful” of Trump or trying to appease the incoming administration.
“The main complaint was that we called Donald Trump’s rhetoric fascist during the campaign, and then we went down to have an off the record comment,” Scarborough said, adding, “I’ll do my show the way I want to do my show!”
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