MSNBC on Monday kept its flagship show Morning Joe off air to avoid "inappropriate" comments about Donald Trump on the progressive program in the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt on the presumptive Republican nominee, according to CNN.
"[The decision] was made to avoid a scenario in which one of the show’s stable of two-dozen-plus guests might make an inappropriate comment on live television that could be used to assail the program and network as a whole," an individual familiar with the internal deliberations told CNN.
The suspension of the network's top-rated political roundtable program raised eyebrows, given the week's ramped-up news cycle ahead of the Republican National Convention. Morning Joe, reportedly one of President Joe Biden’s favorite programs, is hosted by prominent Trump critics Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Willie Geist, all of whom earn millions of dollars annually for their anchor roles.
Scarborough said in September that "it’s not a reach" to liken Trump to Adolf Hitler "without any concerns whatsoever."
"Do I think that Donald Trump could be allowed to line people up against a wall and shoot them? No, he’d like to, no doubt," Scarborough continued. "I know him. And I’ve known him for a long time. And we can see this. He would like to; he’s not going to be allowed to."
Scarborough is reportedly paid more than $20 million a year, according to a former NBCUniversal executive.
Morning Joe panelist Mike Barnicle in March compared the need to stop Trump to vanquishing Hitler and saving Europe during World War II.
MSNBC said in a statement Monday that "given the gravity and complexity of this unfolding story, NBC News, NBC News NOW, and MSNBC have remained in rolling breaking news coverage since Saturday evening," referring to the Saturday shooting at Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania, which left the former president with a bloody ear, killed one rally attendee, and injured two others.
The network denied CNN’s reporting and said the show will return Tuesday morning.
"I’m stunned," veteran TV host Roland Martin said on X. "[MSNBC] leadership has pulled their flagship morning show [Morning Joe] today, on the first day of the GOP convention. I’m sure [Scarborough], [Brzezinski] and their crew is stunned by this decision."