MSNBC host Jen Psaki acknowledged Tuesday that her network’s predominantly left-leaning audience generally anticipates critical coverage of President Donald Trump and his administration. Psaki, who previously served a brief stint as President Joe Biden’s first White House press secretary before joining the left-wing cable news outlet, made the candid remark during an episode of “The Grill Room” podcast.
“We’re going to talk about what the opposing party is up to, in terms of Democrats, and we’re going to talk about future leaders and things,” Psaki told host Dylan Beyers. “And, we’re also going to talk about Trump, and it’s typically not going to be positive. I don’t think anybody watching expects it to be positive, right? There is not like a North Star thing written on a card, and everybody does it slightly differently … that’s fairly the vibe.”
Psaki — who describes herself as a journalist after spending several years in Democrat administrations — added that while she sometimes features right-leaning guests on her show, she has never been directed by MSNBC leadership to cater to a conservative audience or present their viewpoints with neutrality. “I have not experienced this like, ‘You have to move to the center, you have to have Republicans on, you have to be more moderate’,” she continued. “Every show kind of has a North Star, but the vibe is, kind of, under the same umbrella.”
MSNBC recently revealed that Psaki will take over the 9 p.m. Eastern primetime slot as the network undergoes a major shake-up amid rumors of an impending sale. Earlier this year, MSNBC announced the cancellation of Joy Reid’s long-running program “The ReidOut” following a steady decline in ratings, prompting an emotional farewell shortly after. The network is also cutting several weekend programs, including those hosted by Katie Phang, Ayman Mohyeldin, Jonathan Capehart, and Jose Diaz-Balart, as it sheds viewers amid President Donald Trump’s historic victory in November.
