MSNBC staffers are lashing out at Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski after shocking their liberal viewers by revealing their recent meeting at Mar-a-Lago with President-elect Donald Trump.

“Cowardice,” an MSNBC employee responded to Fox News Digital. “Do exactly what (anti-Trump historian) Tim Snyder warns us not to do on our broadcast: obey in advance. It’s disgusting but honestly not surprising.”

The source said MSNBC’s rank and file is now “largely disdainful” of the network’s morning stars, saying it “feels like they’re just being opportunistic.”

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‘Morning Joe’ hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough discuss their meeting with President-elect Donald Trump last week.

Others have taken to social media to voice their concerns. MSNBC contributor Jennifer Rubin called it “disgusting” on Bluesky, the X-like social media site that is increasingly popular with progressives. MSNBC host Katie Phang offered an indirect swipe, posting on X: “Normalizing Trump is a bad idea. Period.”

“Katie Phang is right. It’s normalization (and it’s entry bulls—),” the MSNBC contributor told Fox News Digital. “Journalists don’t need access to their subjects to hold them accountable. None of it is credible. The obvious answer is credible: They’re opportunists.”

The insider expressed concern that MSNBC will face a significant backlash as a result of Mar-a-Lago, with left-wing viewers already lashing out. Some are already calling for a boycott of the network.

“This feels serious,” they said. “I can’t imagine that (parent company) Comcast minds this development. But the people at MSNBC do.”

MSNBC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Another network insider defended the meeting and its objectives to Fox News Digital, saying they found the criticism “curious” as the hosts challenged Trump on his rhetoric and positions during the meeting.

“I’m not sure it was a bad thing to go in to raise concerns about threats against journalists and politicians,” she added.

Scarborough appeared to anticipate a backlash at Monday morning’s meeting.

“We are not here to defend or normalize Donald Trump,” he told viewers. “We are here to report on him and hopefully give you insights that will better equip us all to better understand these deeply troubling times.”

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FILE – Then-Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, speaks during a campaign event, Wednesday, September 25, 2024, in Mint Hill, NC (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Scarborough and Brzezinski have become two of Trump’s fiercest critics since he took office, a complete reversal of the relationship they had with him during the 2016 Republican primaries.

Friday’s meeting was the first time they had seen Trump in seven years, Brzezinski said, with Scarborough adding that they “didn’t see eye to eye on many issues, and we told him so.” Scarborough said they discussed topics such as abortion, mass deportationand threats of retaliation against political opponents and media outlets. According to the hosts, the meeting was about an agreement to “restart communications.”

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“For those who are wondering why we would talk to the president-elect in such difficult times, especially between us, I would ask back: why wouldn’t we?” said Brzezinski. “Five years of political warfare has deeply divided Washington and the country. We have been as clear as possible in expressing our deep concerns about President Trump’s actions and words in the deepening public debate.

“But for nearly 80 million Americans, election denial and public trials on January 6 were not as important as the issues that led them to send Donald Trump back to the White House with their vote. Joe and I realize it’s time to do something different. , and that doesn’t just start with talking about Donald Trump, but also with him.”

Scarborough and Brzezinski frequently interviewed Trump on their show during the 2016 Republican primaries. (REUTERS/Scott Morgan)

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Trump spoke to Fox News Digital on Monday about the “extremely cordial” meeting he had with the MSNBC hosts.

“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 a meeting took place,” Trump said in an interview. “A lot of things were discussed, and I really appreciated that they wanted to have open communication. In many ways, it’s a shame that this didn’t happen a long time ago.

“The meeting ended on a very positive note and we agreed to speak in the future,” he added.

David Rutz and Brooke Singman of Fox News contributed to this report.