Two television networks have amended their coverage plans for the Republican National Convention following Saturday’s assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
On Monday, CNN reported rival cable network MSNBC decided to substitute its daily political affairs program “Morning Joe” with continuing coverage of the assassination attempt from NBC News. The network cited a “person familiar with the matter” who apparently said the decision to pull Morning Joe on Monday was meant to prevent an “inappropriate comment” from being aired on the show in the immediate aftermath of the situation. The program’s hosts and guests are often critical of Trump, and the show’s daily segments often focus on the former president.
On Saturday, MSNBC offered rolling news coverage of the assassination attempt, which was simulcast on NBC’s streaming-only news channel NBC News Now. By Sunday, the coverage had flipped, with NBC News taking over production duties of its coverage, which was simulcast on MSNBC. On Monday, NBC News and MSNBC had reverted back to separate coverage of the incident, though MSNBC’s programming was more news-oriented.
Meanwhile, Paramount Global’s Comedy Central says its comedic nightly news recap program “The Daily Show” had abandoned plans to produce live coverage from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which starts this week. Trump is expected to be named the party’s official nominee at the event.
On Sunday, the main social media accounts for the Daily Show said Monday’s episode would not proceed as scheduled, with the show returning on Tuesday. The message apologized “for the inconvenience,” with the network saying it needed to “reschedule our events on the ground in Wisconsin.”
The show was to be produced throughout the week in Milwaukee, but producers and the network made a quick decision to bring the show back to New York City in light of the assassination attempt. The show will air as scheduled from Tuesday through Thursday, and Comedy Central is in the process of booking a studio audience from its main production facility there.
