MSNBC "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough on Wednesday credited President Donald Trump with helping his show reach "record ratings," saying the president is "only making the media stronger."
During a discussion on the contentious relationship between the Trump administration and the media, Scarborough described the White House's actions toward the press as "short-sighted," saying polls show news outlets are more trusted by Americans than the president.
"Donald Trump is only making the media stronger," he said. "We have record ratings for us at Morning Joe … subscription increases at The New York Times, Washington Post … Everyone is actually getting more viewers by holding them accountable."
In the second quarter of 2017, MSNBC, CNN and Fox News all logged major ratings gains, according to Deadline.
MSNBC contributor Mike Barnicle said although he agreed the stance is shortsighted, he thought the administration has a "fairly successful strategy of running the press down, and it’s working to a certain extent."
Scarborough replied, "It's a 36 percent strategy. It's a losing strategy."
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