Over the weekend, MSNBC's AM Joy show demonstrated its inability to engage in sober criticism of President Donald Trump rather than descending into over the top hyperbole as two frequent guests of the show likened Trump supporters to Nazis and KKK members.
Comedian Dean Obeidallah claimed that the word "Trump" is becoming a "modern-day swastika," MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson saw a "modern-day lynching" of Ilhan Omar and her "Squad" colleagues, and The Beat D.C's Tiffany Cross declared that a MAGA hat is equivalent to a "Nazi symbol" or "Klan hood."
On Sunday's show, as host Joy Reid argued that President Trump is promoting white nationalism, Cross -- who often sounds like she's auditioning to become the latest far-left MSNBC contributor -- began:
I think that this is something that his supporters -- and we have to start calling his supporters racists as well. That MAGA hat -- that MAGA symbol has come to represent something. it is the new Nazi symbol -- it is the new hood, the Klan hood.
A bit later, she even claimed that it is "racist" to accurately describe illegal immigrants as "illegal immigrants." Cross asserted: "Even his language itself is very racist. The term 'illegal Immigrant' is overwhelmingly offensive."
Host Reid injected: "And it's outdated."
Cross tacitly admitted that it is currently technically accurate terminology as she added:
It's outdated, and so Congressman Joaquin Castro -- chair of the Hispanic Caucus -- introduced legislation this week to remove it from the federal government's lexicon so we can have a more inclusive government and live up to what the promise of America is supposed to be.
Reid -- who has a history of banning the term "illegal alien" from her show -- further agreed: "Yeah, absolutely, it's an outdated term. In media we don't even use it anymore."
A bit earlier, Cross claimed that Republicans have a history of electing "white supremacists" to Congress even though almost all such members of Congress have been Democrats: "This did not begin with Trump's presidency. This is the President the Republican Party created for the past few decades. Long before Trump came into office, you had white supremacists roaming the halls of Congress."
And on Saturday's show, as host Reid recalled that President Trump has tried to link Omar to terrorists, Obeidallah recounted that white supremacists had accused him of links to terrorism, and then added: "Donald Trump is doing the same thing. That's the go-to for white supremacists -- that's the go-to for neo-Nazis, to smear Muslims as somehow we're all involved in terrorism."
After noting an increase in the reporting of hate crimes, he continued:
And this is tied to Donald Trump. This is a man who doesn't just want violence against Ilhan Omar -- his base, they came after me. … There's been a spike in LGBT, anti-black hate crimes, anti-Semitic hate crimes. Anyone that's not white, male and Christian is under the gun and spotlight under Trump. And, sadly, that's what he wants.
Obeidallah went on:
There have been mosques defaced with the word 'Trump.' Today, Trump is becoming a modern-day swastika. People have to be aware, it's no longer a name -- it's shorthand for a symbol of hate. Someone says, 'I like Trump,' they're telling you they're in for white supremacy -- I'm in for bigotry -- I'm in for sexism.' That's what Trump means now, and I think we have to be aware of it and call it out bluntly.
Reid agreed before pivoting to blaming reports of increased hate crimes on President Trump.
