Rachel Maddow is ringing in the new Trump era with nightly broadcasts
Meanwhile, Alex Wagner will travel America for a new series of specials called Trumpland: The First 100 Days.
Screenshot: MSNBCSeems safe to say there will be a lot to talk about when Donald Trump resumes his spot in the Oval Office next week. In response, news organizations are buckling down and preparing to deal with whatever’s to come (there’s this thing called “Project 2025” that might give us an idea). For instance, MSNBC will bring Rachel Maddow back on the air daily as part of its plan to cover the first 100 days of the once-and-future administration, per Forbes.
Maddow’s Rachel Maddow Show has aired once a week (on Mondays) since 2022, but she’ll be doing five nights a week starting with her coverage of Inauguration Day. Meanwhile, Alex Wagner, who typically helms Alex Wagner Tonight Tuesdays through Fridays, will travel cross-country for a special series of reports called Trumpland: The First 100 Days. During this time, she’ll “meet with key figures shaping this critical moment in American politics, bringing her real-time and firsthand reporting to viewers across MSNBC primetime, specials, digital platforms and live events,” per Forbes. Both Maddow and Wagner’s shows are slated to return to regular schedules on May 1.
The Trump-era revamp comes as rumors suggest NBC News’ chief political analyst Chuck Todd is looking to leave the network. Todd has been with the network since 2007, serving as a White House correspondent and MSNBC host before taking the reins of Meet The Press. He was replaced by Kristen Welker as moderator of that show in 2023, and apparently his reduced role has led him to pursue some quiet meetings with other media outlets, according to a report from Semafor.
Meanwhile, Deadline reports that MSNBC has faced a steep drop-off in viewership after the election. Apparently this is somewhat normal for a post-election period, but bringing in a ratings heavy-hitter like Maddow is nevertheless an attempt to right the ship. Other ideas MSNBC is trying out is a podcast about the future of the Democratic party hosted by Jen Psaki and a new All In With Chris Hayes recurring segment called “Here is What is True,” described as a “straight-forward reality check” of the news coming out of Washington, per Deadline.