MSNBC host Chris Matthews issued an apology for comparing Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders' (VT) victory in the Nevada Caucus to Nazi Germany beating France during World War II at the beginning of his show on Monday.
"I'm reading last night about the fall of France in the summer of 1940," Matthews said on Saturday. "And the general calls up Churchill and says, 'It’s over,' and Churchill says, 'How can it be? You got the greatest army in Europe. How can it be over?' He said, 'It's over.'"
Matthews's comment was met with a wave of backlash, including from Sanders's campaign and Democrats.
Chris Matthews just compared Bernie's victory in Nevada to the Nazis taking control of France.
— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) February 22, 2020
Incredibly offensive thing to say about someone from a family of holocaust survivors. pic.twitter.com/t29L4K4iHm
Chris Matthews compared @BernieSanders victory to Nazis taking France. What happened to unity? I told you they were liars!! Unity meant compliance to the elites. Now that Bernie is winning, all of them are attacking him more not less. What happened to not hurting front-runner?!
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) February 23, 2020
"Before we get into tonight’s news, I want to say something quite personal. As I watched one-sided results of the Saturday's Democratic caucus in Nevada, I reached for a historical analogy and used a bad one. I was wrong to refer to an event from the last days or actually the first days of World War II. Sen. Sanders, I’m sorry for comparing anything from that tragic era in which so many suffered, especially the Jewish people, to an election result in which you were a well deserved winner," Matthews said.
"This is going to be a hard fought heated campaign of ideas. In the weeks and months ahead I will strive to do a better job myself of elevating the political discussion. Congratulations, by the way to you, Sen. Sanders, and your supporters on a tremendous win down in Nevada," he added.
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