Appearing as a panel member on Monday's MSNBC Live with Steve Kornacki, The Root's Jason Johnson engaged in his latest smears against President Donald Trump and White House advisor Steve Bannon as the recurring MSNBC guest tried to link Trump to 'Neo-Nazis' and Bannon to "white nationalist terrorists."
After host Kornacki recounted a slight increase in the President's approval rating after the airstrikes in Syria, he asked Johnson his take on the public's reaction to Trump's actions. The race-obsessed politics editor of The Root was quick to bring up "Neo-Nazis" as he began his analysis:
It really depends on which American people you're talking about. The Trump supporters are really split. I mean, you have his far-right and alt-right and sort of neo-Nazi supporters who've said this is terrible and he's getting into this sort of global cop thing that he wouldn't do. You have some mainline Republicans who think it's great.
After going to his other guests, Kornacki ended the segment by going back to Johnson as he wondered about the possible effect if Bannon were to leave the Trump White House. Johnson demonized Bannon as he began:
I think a lot of people would, I think, misinterpret it as a pivot. I've always had a problem with Steve Bannon. I think the President should be able to pick whoever they want, but he's a white nationalist, he sympathizes with white nationalist terrorists, he's a bigot, and I don't think that has a healthy role in anyone who's going to be President of the United States regardless of if he won the popular vote or not.
He then took aim at Breitbart News as he continued to trash Bannon:
I think even if Steve Bannon were to leave tomorrow, if he were to pack up his bags and go back to Breitbart or wherever else it is that alt-right people go on their spare time, I don't think it would fundamentally change some of the attitudes.
The Root's politics editor -- who has a history of trying to link the KKK and neo-Nazis to conservatives -- then concluded:
We're still going to have a President who wants a travel ban. You're still going to have a President who ignores attacks on Muslim Americans and African American citizens by white nationalists. So Steve Bannon is a symbol, but I don't think he changes the office culture even if he somehow is removed from that position.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Monday, April 10, MSNBC Live with Steve Kornacki:
4:34 p.m. ET
STEVE KORNACKI: And, Jason Johnson, we're starting to get our first polling read on what people make of the airstrikes in Syria. We put this one up, a bunch of numbers floating around today. We'll show you from CBS News. They find that 57 percent of Americans there saying they support the airstrikes in Syria; 36 percent say they disapprove of them.In terms of the effect of this decision potentially on Trump's standing with the American people overall, you can see in Gallup they track his job approval rating daily. He is up a few points. He had sort of bottomed out there at the end of March. He's still underwater, not quite as underwater, up to a 40 percent approval rating. I wonder what message you think the American people are taking from this?
JASON JOHNSON, THE ROOT: Well, you know, Steve, it really depends on which American people you're talking about. The Trump supporters are really split. I mean, you have his far-right and alt-right and sort of neo-Nazi supporters who've said this is terrible and he's getting into this sort of global cop thing that he wouldn't do. You have some mainline Republicans who think it's great.
(...)
KORNACKI: And, Jason, by the same token, Steve Bannon has been a lightning rod obviously all around, but outside of Trump base, he has been probably the chief target besides the President himself for Donald Trump's critics. What would it mean to them if Steve Bannon were to leave this White House?
JOHNSON: Well, I think a lot of people would, I think, misinterpret it as a pivot. I've always had a problem with Steve Bannon. I think the President should be able to pick whoever they want, but he's a white nationalist, he sympathizes with white nationalist terrorists, he's a bigot, and I don't think that has a healthy role in anyone who's going to be President of the United States regardless of if he won the popular vote or not.
I think even if Steve Bannon were to leave tomorrow, if he were to pack up his bags and go back to Breitbart or wherever else it is that alt-right people go on their spare time, I don't think it would fundamentally change some of the attitudes.
We're still going to have a President who wants a travel ban. You're still going to have a President who ignores attacks on Muslim Americans and African American citizens by white nationalists. So Steve Bannon is a symbol, but I don't think he changes the office culture even if he somehow is removed from that position.
