'Unnerving': Trump critic explains why he still has regular phone calls with the president

MSNBC's "Morning Joe" host and former Republican lawmaker Joe Scarborough admits that in between blasting President Donald Trump on his show, he actually still speaks with him from time to time, Mediaite reports.

Although the show's ratings have since bounced back, reports in late 2024 and early 2025 confirmed that "Morning Joe" initially saw a significant audience drop following hosts Scarborough and wife Mika Brzezinski's November 2024 meeting with then President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

Speaking host Lachlan Cartwright on media podcast The Breaker, Scarborough admitted that he still speaks with Trump on occasion despite his critiques.

“We’ve known each other for a very long time. We talk and communicate, and I try to get insight on what’s going on,” Scarborough said.

He says it's not about friendship, but, rather "It’s about trying to figure out the moves, the intentions, the narratives that shape the world — from Ukraine to the Middle East. I try to figure out where he’s going, what can I do that will help my viewers understand what’s going on and what’s coming up."

While Scarborough, Meidaite says, is "not a liberal standard-bearer," he's "something closer to a political iconoclast, a former Republican congressman who turned his sharp elbows on Donald Trump with the kind of disdain few in Washington or on television dared summon."

Scarborough's contact with the contentious president, Mediaite says, is for the "sake of his audience."

"The paradox is almost literary. Scarborough is a host trying to maintain distance while maintaining dialogue. His conversations are strategic: calls about Ukraine, discussions about Israel and Netanyahu, assessments of administration plans," the outlet writes. "And while he rarely receives straight answers, he persists."

As for how the "Morning Joe" audience perceives this latest revelation, that's yet to be seen, Mediaite says, but it can go either way.

"This is what makes the story unnerving and fascinating. To "Morning Joe’s" relatively centrist-leaning audience (compared to, say MSNBC prime-time viewers), the access seems reasonable—journalistic diligence, a way to illuminate the chaos," writes Mediaite.

"To the more progressive faction, it will look dangerously close to enabling a moral compromise in the name of information. Scarborough walks a thin line between principle and pragmatism, between iconoclasm and influence, and the balance is fragile," they added.