What really happened was that they were enamored with the access, and ensuing easy ratings, they were getting from this “can you believe this is really happening?!” political story of a lifetime. They probably also figured that Trump could never beat Hillary Clinton, which is part of why liberal MSNBC put up with their embarrassing shenanigans.
Then, as soon as Trump became president, knowing that the MSNBC audience was no longer amused and was instead now horrified by Trump (look what just happened to Trump fan Great Van Susteren there) they turned on him hard. With Trump no longer going on their show — and with them now having nothing to gain ratings-wise by supporting him — this decision was obviously based primarily on self-interest and not a sudden change in principles. Now that Trump has targeted them so dramatically, he has instantly given them back their “liberal street cred” and probably secured them at MSNBC through the duration of his presidency.
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