MSNBC’s Joy Reid faces criticism for her comments on Trump and Biden

Joy Reid is facing criticism after suggesting that surviving an assassination attempt by Donald Trump is akin to Joe Biden contracting COVID-19.

The MSNBC host spoke on the radio Wednesday with Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary who also hosts on the network. Reid discussed how Trump’s attendance at the Republican National Convention 48 hours after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania was seen as a sign of strength.

President Joe Biden was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday. If he recovers and resumes campaigning, shouldn’t that also be a sign of strength?

That seems to be what she meant anyway. It came out a little differently than she might have intended, namely that it didn’t come across well at all.

Who is Joy Reid?

Reid is the host of MSNBC’s “The ReidOut,” which began in July 2020. She’s often criticized by those on the right for her outspokenness. She certainly doesn’t hold back on her opinions, whether on her show or on social media. She also recently stirred up controversy on Threads Wednesday when she asked about the injury Trump sustained to his ear during Saturday’s shooting.

“I have so many questions!” she wrote. “Like where are the medical reports? What caused Trump’s injury and what was the injury? Shards? Glass? A bullet? Where were the three people in attendance who were shot, sitting or standing in relation to Trump? Why was Trump allowed to stand and pose for photos, pumping his fist in the air for almost ten seconds while asking for his shoe, when there could have easily been more shooters?”

What did Joy Reid say about Joe Biden and COVID-19?

In her comments on MSNBC about Biden’s COVID-19 and Trump’s shooting, Reid said the former president “will bounce right back up and go right to his convention, which is seen in the media world as a sign of strength. This current president of the United States is 81 years old and has COVID. If he’s supposed to be completely fine in a couple of days, doesn’t that represent the same thing? That he’s strong enough — older than Trump — to have contracted something that used to be really fatal for people his age? So if he comes out of it okay and comes back and can have rallies, doesn’t that represent the same thing?”

Psaki began to respond, but Reid, clearly aware of what she had said, interrupted her to clarify: “I mean, it’s not exactly the same. It’s not the same incident, but it’s an older man coming out of an illness.”

Reid will appear in MSNBC’s coverage of the RNC, which continues Thursday when Trump is set to accept the party’s nomination.

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