MSNBC’s Programming Changes After Trump’s Assassination Attempt

President Biden has few more loyal media outposts than the set of “Morning Joe,” the MSNBC opinion show hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mike Brzezinski, who regularly discuss political events while praising Mr. Biden. However, after a weekend of crisis following the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump, the show’s loyal fans were surprised on Monday morning to find breaking news delivered by the NBC digital service NBC Now.

The sudden change sparked questions about whether NBC was altering the program for political reasons due to the heightened tensions. Some Trump supporters have criticized the news media for their coverage and commentary on him, his legal troubles, and plans for a potential second term.

Reacting to the programming change, Roland S. Martin, a former CNN host, expressed his surprise on MSNBC’s decision, especially as it coincided with the first day of the Republican National Convention.

A staff member on the show, speaking anonymously, revealed that the producers and hosts were informed over the weekend that MSNBC’s programming would be taken over by its corporate sibling, NBC News. This led to further surprise when MSNBC aired programming from its digital news service, NBC Now, instead of the main NBC News show, “Today,” which continued as scheduled.

Despite speculation, a spokesman for MSNBC denied that NBC made the programming change for political reasons. The network emphasized the importance of covering the unfolding story of the assassination attempt, stating that NBC News, NBC News NOW, and MSNBC would provide continuous breaking news coverage.

Following the programming change, a spokesman for NBCUniversal News Group confirmed that “Morning Joe” would resume its regular broadcast on Tuesday.

MSNBC also made other programming adjustments in response to the shooting incident, including the cancellation of “VelshiCast,” a planned YouTube livestream featuring commentary on the Republican convention by anchor Ali Velshi.

This incident comes against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between NBC’s hard news broadcast network and MSNBC, which has increasingly embraced its identity as a liberal-leaning network. Despite MSNBC’s programming changes, its rivals opted to maintain their regular programming on Monday morning.