Chris Hayes Rips Gaetz for Promoting Replacement Theory: ‘The Kind of Racism That Has Become So Core’ to GOP Base

Replacement theory, a belief held by racists/white nationalists that foreigners are being brought into the country to “replace” the white majority, has gotten some disturbing mainstream traction.

Tucker Carlson, who has come under fire for talking it up in the past, straight-up said last week President Joe Biden has a “great replacement” policy. When the Anti-Defamation League blasted Carlson and called for his firing, Matt Gaetz defended him, promoted replacement theory, and called the ADL “racist.”

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes brought up Gaetz’s tweet on Monday night, remarking that the Florida Republican “appears to be trying to brush away his looming legal troubles by ostentatiously performing the kind of racism that has become so core to so much of the moderate Republican base.”

“The so-called replacement theory claims that Democrats are bringing people — bringing people — from foreign countries to replace the legacy Americans, as Carlson referred to them. You may remember hearing about this theory when it was shouted by frothing white supremacists protesting the removal of a Confederate statue in Charlottesville in 2017,” he continued, showing the infamous “Jews will not replace us” chants from Charlottesville.

“That’s what replacement theory sounds like when it’s being communicated honestly,” Hayes added.

Last week Hayes called out Carlson and said his rhetoric sounds a lot like David Duke’s.

He remarked Monday night that replacement theory used to be limited to “white supremacist websites” but now “it’s increasingly at the center of Republican party ideology.”

Gaetz responded to the uproar over his tweet by insisting it’s actually the left and the media thinking about replacement “solely on race/ethnicity terms” and not him.

The Left/Media think of replacement solely on race/ethnicity terms. I don’t at all.

Democrats failed the voters who relied on them to run their states/cities.

Now they are importing new voters.

That is my argument.

Those reading more into it are projecting their own bias. https://t.co/iGED8QlvZB

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) September 27, 2021

Hayes said that excuse is “ridiculous” because of how explicit Carlson was being in the segment Gaetz defended.

You can watch above, via MSNBC.