MSNBC host Joy Reid voiced her displeasure at how close the 2020 presidential election has been, saying because President Trump has a chance at being reelected, it shows how racist the United States still is.
"I intellectually figured that out and talked about it on the show and talked about it with multiple guests and knew it intellectually, but going through it last night, living through that experience, oh, this is not going to be last night. I realized my heart must not have been in it. Because last night just did feel fraught," host Rachel Maddow said.
"It did feel fraught. And I think partly because even though we knew the red wave was a thing — the red mirage, I should say, the red mirage, we all knew it was coming. You’re right, in the moment, it’s aggravating. And I think partly — and I said this last night — I do think it’s because we’ve been reporting for five years, Rachel, about Russia, about national security, you know, joust undermining our national security, you know, the impeachment, the racism, the Nazis, all of it. And then COVID laying on top of it felt like a repudiation was coming," Reid said.
"And I think even though we intellectually understand what America is at its base, right, that there is a great amount of racism, anti-blackness, anti-wokeness, this idea that political correctness is some sort of scheme to destroy white America, right? Like, we know what this country is, but still part of you — I think part of your heart says, you know what, maybe the country’s going to pay off all of this pain," she continued. "That the children were stolen with a repudiation. And as the night wore on and I realized and it sunk in, OK, that’s not happening, we are still who we thought, unfortunately...It’s disappointing. You know, and I emerged from this disappointed."
Speaking of racism, Reid has faced backlash for using an anti-black pejorative for Supreme Court Justice Clarance Thomas.
"Somehow they managed to stumble into the Supreme Court," Reid said to her panelists. "Do any of you guys trust Uncle Clarence, and Amy Coney Barrett and those guys to actually follow the letter of the law?"