NEW YORK — MSNBC host Joy Reid delivered an impassioned critique on her primetime show, denouncing calls for unity between Democrats and Republicans amid speculation of improved relations between President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump. Reid sharply criticized Biden for seemingly softening his stance toward Trump, arguing that the policies and actions of Trump’s allies make bipartisan reconciliation impossible.
“Here he is, key-keying with the guy he was just recently saying was destroying the soul of America. It’s a remarkable scene,” Reid said, referencing Biden’s recent overtures toward Trump. She expressed disbelief over what she described as a sudden shift in tone among Republicans, who have begun calling for unity despite years of political and social division. “Cue the people who just two weeks ago were screaming, ‘Let’s go, Brandon,’ and cheering as J.D. Vance called Vice President Harris ‘the trash he was going to take out.’ Now they’re yelling, ‘Why can’t we all come together?’ Really?”
JUST IN: MSNBC's Joy Reid has a borderline meltdown on live air because Republicans and Democrats are uniting.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 16, 2024
Reid fumed over how President Biden and President-elect Trump appear to be friends now.
"Brandon wants to come together, here he is, with the guy he was just… pic. /D7OVmIMSsd
Reid reminded viewers of the events following Trump’s 2020 election loss, accusing his supporters of hypocrisy. “I seem to recall that when your guy lost the last election, you didn’t come together. Your people stormed the Capitol, smashed in windows, and rioted, beat up and nearly killed police officers, and menaced poll workers all over the country,” Reid said. She also highlighted the death threats issued to Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, noting, “They had to leave their home in Georgia, but it didn’t stop there.”
Reid turned her focus to Trump’s political rhetoric and policy proposals, which she argued are incompatible with unity. “We cannot come together around mass deporting millions of immigrants, separating families, or throwing them into internment camps,” Reid said. She continued, “We can’t come together around kicking women or gay, bi, or trans people out of the military just because macho man weekend TV guy said so.”
The MSNBC host also took aim at Trump’s previous appointees and his rumored selections for a second term, accusing them of being unqualified and dangerous. “Are we meant to come together around his running mate, whose only job prior to 18 months as a senator was working for Peter Thiel?” Reid asked, referring to speculation about Republican Senator J.D. Vance. “Trump is hiring a bunch of these underqualified people for really important jobs in his next administration, demanding that we all affirm them as perfectly serious candidates.”
Reid further criticized Republicans for their continued attacks on abortion access, LGBTQ+ rights, and the teaching of Black history in schools. “We cannot come together around banning abortion and IVF nationwide and watching more women die from sepsis or more teenagers giving birth to rape babies,” Reid said. “We cannot come together around banning accurate Black history or renaming military bases after Confederate generals.”
Reid’s monologue reached a crescendo as she condemned Trump’s campaign rhetoric, accusing him of borrowing from authoritarian playbooks. “It is a common feature of authoritarianism and fascism that the nation is called to come together under the autocrat and accept that his incompetent lackeys are our betters,” she said. “No, we cannot come together around that.”
Reid also called out tech billionaire Elon Musk, accusing him of using his social media platform to sway elections and amplifying harmful rhetoric. “We cannot come together around Elon Musk, who runs an app infused with racism and misogyny and who essentially co-owns a president alongside Vladimir Putin,” she said.
In closing, Reid rejected the notion that unity is achievable when fundamental values remain at odds. “Joe Biden is perfectly free to come together with Trump and the people who literally three days ago were calling him every name in the book because he’s the president and therefore immune from prosecution by our soon-to-be autocrat,” Reid said. “Some of us do not have the privilege to come together around that.”
