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Elon Musk has hinted that he could buy left-leaning, legacy US media network, MSNBC after Donald Trump Jr. jokingly suggested the idea to the world's richest man. Quoting a post from an account which claimed that MSNBC's parent outfit, Comcast, was putting the cable channel up for sale, Mr Trump Jr. tagged the billionaire and wrote: "Hey Elon Musk I have the funniest idea ever!!!". In response, Mr Musk wrote: "How much does it cost?". The phrase was a call back to a similar reply Mr Musk made prior to buying X (erstwhile Twitter).
The Tesla boss followed up the reply to Trump Jr. by adding: "The most entertaining outcome, especially if ironic, is most likely" with a laughing crying face emoji. After popular podcast host, Joe Rogan also entered the discussion online, Mr Musk commented: "Maybe I should show up there with a sink."
The most entertaining outcome, especially if ironic, is most likely 😂 https://t.co/YX2EznXfoF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2024
Maybe I should show up there with a sink 😂
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2024
Owing to the dip in ratings, Comcast recently announced that MSNBC, E!, CNBC, USA, Oxygen, SYFY and the Golf Channel will form part of a new, publicly traded company as the telecommunication giant focuses on NBC and Bravo.
"When you look at our assets, talented management team and balance sheet strength, we are able to set these businesses up for future growth," Brian L Roberts, chairman and CEO of Comcast was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
A New York Times report also stated that MSNBC's rating had dropped significantly after Donald Trump's win in the US presidential election. After Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the co-hosts of the Morning Joe show on the channel, went to Mar-a-Lago to meet Mr Trump in order to start a dialogue, the ratings further plummeted.
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Mr Musk buying X for $44 billion in 2022 set off a chain of reaction that culminated with Mr Trump gaining keys to the White House again. The SpaceX CEO initially fired nearly 80 per cent of X staff before reinstating Mr Trump's account on the platform. Slowly, the microblogging platform, which was dominated by left-leaning voices, transformed into a safe haven for right-wing personalities as the advertisers abandoned the platform. However, after Mr Trump's election win, most of the advertisers had returned, according to Mr Musk.
While Mr Musk has been battling for 'free speech', Mr Trump has long called out MSNBC and other 'partisan' channels that cater to the Democrats and left-liberals. During the canvassing trail, Mr Trump came down heavy upon CBS News, after it was suggested that the 60 Minutes interview featuring Vice President Kamala Harris was heavily edited.