### "Morning Joe Hosts Reconnect with Trump to Restart Communications"

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," have announced that they have reopened lines of communication with President-elect Donald Trump following a meeting over the weekend at Mar-a-Lago. This encounter marked their first face-to-face meeting with Trump in seven years.

During their Monday broadcast, Scarborough and Brzezinski revisited past criticisms of Trump's Cabinet selections and explained the purpose behind their recent outreach. "It's going to come as no surprise to anybody who watches this show, has watched it over the past year or over the past decade that we didn't see eye to eye on a lot of issues, and we told him so," Scarborough said. Despite these differences, the hosts felt it was important to begin a dialogue with the president-elect.

Brzezinski echoed the sentiment of the renewed communication, responding to potential criticisms for engaging with Trump amidst political tensions. "For those asking why we would go speak to the president-elect during such fraught times, especially between us, I guess I would ask back 'why wouldn't we?'" she said. "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."

Scarborough emphasized how leaders from both political parties must find mutual ground, especially since Trump is ineligible for reelection after his second term. He noted that many senior Democrats have expressed a willingness to cooperate with the incoming president under the right conditions. "When I say top Democrats, I mean top Democrats," Scarborough said. "They said 'listen, we are open to working with the incoming president if the incoming president is open to working with us.'"

The timing of this outreach comes as Democrats are reconsidering their strategies following their significant loss on Election Day. Michael LaRosa, the former press secretary for First Lady Jill Biden, recently criticized the party’s current stance, urging for a reevaluation of their diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. LaRosa argued for more serious discussions about policy and politics rather than engaging in provocative rhetoric against Trump nominees.