Joy Reid Attacks Black Conservatives: ‘You Have to Humiliate Your Own People’ to Get Ahead

Joy Reid claimed Black Republicans are self-loathing fame chasers who are willing to sell out their fellow Black Americans in order to get ahead in the conservative movement.

The ex-cable news star made the comment during an appearance on progressive podcaster Jack Cocchiarella’s show on Sunday. Reid said the Republican establishment gets excited when they spot an up-and-coming Black conservative — but they require the pundit or politician to belittle other Black Americans in exchange for their official blessing.

“In order to get that boost from the right, you have to humiliate your own people,” Reid said. “You have to express disdain for your own people. There has to be a certain amount of self-hate that you’re willing to promote and a lot of humiliation that you’re willing to promote.”

She said that is especially the case in President Donald Trump’s America.

“MAGA Trumpism is about humiliation, and that’s not just about Black folks,” she said.

A moment earlier, she said Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is one of those self-hating Black Republicans. She said Donalds has claimed Black Americans were “better off during slavery and Jim Crow,” which is not true.

She was referring to when Donalds said made the following comment in 2024:

“You see, during Jim Crow, the Black family was together. During Jim Crow, more Black people were not just conservative — Black people have always been conservative-minded — but more Black people voted conservatively. And then H.E.W., Lyndon Johnson — you go down that road, and now we are where we are.”

Donalds later pushed back on critics like Reid who said he argued Black Americans were better off under slavery and Jim Crow.

“They’re trying to say that I said Black people were doing better under Jim Crow. I never said that. They are lying,” Donalds said.

Reid said on Sunday Black conservatives — whether they’re running for office or creating content — have to “excuse slavery” to get ahead.

“To me, the amount of humiliation that you have to suffer isn’t worth the boost you get from the right. But a lot of people are thirsty for that boost,” she said.

As for conservatism in general, she said the whole point is about “cruelty,” because “that’s what capitalism is. Capitalism is dog eat dog. There is no sharing, there is no ‘We rise together.’ No it’s, ‘I rise and F you.'”

Watch above.

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