It started with Trump Jr., President-elect Trump’s oldest son, sharing a meme about MSNBC being up for sale. Trump Jr. quote-tweeted the meme Friday on X and said “Hey @elonmusk I have the funniest idea ever!!!”
“How much does it cost,” Musk replied.
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Musk later responded to the viral interaction, saying the sale would be “the most entertaining outcome,” while suggesting it would be “ironic.”
The exchange occurred just two days after Comcast, one of the largest media conglomerates in the nation, said it planned to spin off NBCUniversal assets, including USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, to “create a new publicly traded company.”
Comcast did not mention any indication it would be open to selling MSNBC.
Musk’s exchange with Trump Jr. is similar to one he had with a Twitter user in 2017 after he was encouraged to purchase the social media platform.
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“How much is it” Musk wrote in December of 2017. In 2022, he bought the social media platform, which was later renamed to X, for $44 billion.
Popular podcaster Joe Rogan chimed in on the banter on Friday, telling Musk on X that if the billionaire would buy MSNBC, Rogan would like to replace MSNBC star host Rachel Maddow.
“If you buy MSNBC I would like Rachael Maddow’s job,” Rogan wrote. “I will wear the same outfit and glasses, and I will tell the same lies.”
Some of MSNBC’s hosts, including Maddow, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, have been long-time critics of Trump. The co-hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” said on Monday that they went to Mar-a-Lago last week to meet with Trump to discuss toning down the political rhetoric and unifying the country.
Brzezinski said it was the first time they met face-to-face with the president-elect in seven years, a meeting that sparked backlash from critics and viewers. Following Trump’s win in the 2024 presidential election over Vice President Harris, MSNBC viewership is down 38 percent, The Wrap reported on Thursday.
