MSNBC host Rachel Maddow announced Monday that she will return to her five-night show as she prepares for President-elect Donald Trump's first 100 days in the White House.
Maddow currently hosts “The Rachel Maddow Show” on Monday nights, but she said she plans to return to the prime-time show for a full week leading up to Trump's second term as president. said Monday interview with USA Today. He said the media has already seen “the frenzy of the Trump news cycle” that will emerge during the transition period and must be “ready to adapt.”
“Even during the transition period, we're already seeing the frenzy of the news cycle with President Trump…so we're trying to be prepared for anything, and that's why we make this change in the first 100 days. That's part of the reason,'' Maddow said.
Immediately after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, MSNBC's ratings plummeted by 53%. According to In the New York Times. The network's prime-time ratings are currently down 58% since the election, a steeper drop than most post-election ratings crashes.
“Even during the transition period, we're already seeing the frenzy of the news cycle with President Trump…so we're trying to be prepared for anything and that's why we're making this change in the first 100 days. Part of “Rachel. @Mado say @USATODAY.
read more:… pic.twitter.com/QgVoXfkdzu
— MSNBC Public Relations (@MSNBCPR) January 13, 2025
The longtime host said Trump's inauguration in recent days will make people “want to re-engage” with the world of news and politics after taking a breather after the election. did. (Related: Cable giant announces plans to spin off MSNBC and CNBC after ratings plummet)
“As you say, this is something we see every election,” Maddow told USA Today. “Regardless of who wins or loses, what we find is that people just want to opt out and give other parts of their lives the space that news and politics used to take up. That's certainly understandable. We're entering an era where many people are getting back to work, not just the normal cycle of fatigue and regaining attention.”
Maddow's show drew an average of 2.3 million viewers in 2024, but she lost 43% of her total viewers from January 1, 2024 until the election. By December, her show averaged just 1.4 million viewers.
Maddow said MSNBC chief Rashida Jones asked her to expand her coverage early in Trump's presidency, with host Alex Wagner touring the country and providing “front-line perspectives.” He added that he should “cover the future plans” of the next administration. USA Today. Wagner runs the Tuesday through Friday 9 p.m. slot, but her show averages 1.3 million viewers, less than Maddow's ratings.
In the first week and a half of President Trump's first term in office, MSNBC and CNN posted gains of 7% and 5% compared to their averages a year ago, the New York Times reported. reported During the early days of the president-elect's first term, both networks consistently focused their coverage of Trump on now-debunked reports that the then-president colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. I was doing it.
Maddow immediately began debunking Russia's claims on MSNBC's 2024 election night coverage, saying US 'traditional allies' would stop sharing intelligence with Russia due to Trump's victory He argued that it was highly possible.
“Intelligence sharing between the United States and its traditional allies will probably end. The whole Five Eyes thing will probably end,” Maddow argued. “If the United States were to change sides in the Ukraine-Russia war and support Russia or become neutral, that would mean supporting Russia in this case…Continuing secret communications between the Republican Party and the government, even outside the government. If so, the candidate, the person who financed his campaign and led his ground campaign, right?”
“Both have been in contact with the Russian government without reporting that information to the U.S. government. Moreover, the New York Times reported that they are considering doing so if a second Trump administration takes office. “It happens that background checks are stopped before giving security clearances, which means giving sensitive information to people who are in a position to do so,” Maddow continued.
The networks' ratings have slumped since President Trump left office in January 2021, with CNN's prime-time ratings dropping by 45% and MSNBC's ratings dropping to 26%, The Washington Post reported. reported.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
