‘It Hurts My Heart So Much’: Joy Reid Can’t Bear Thought of Knicks Visiting Trump White House

Former cable news star Joy Reid said she will be in agony when her beloved New York Knicks go to the White House because President Donald Trump has been so “openly hostile to Black folks.”

Reid vented her frustration during the latest episode of her YouTube show on Tuesday. She also slammed Knicks owner and Trump pal James Dolan for coming across as a “plantation owner” by accepting an invitation for the NBA champs to visit the White House.

“The fact that [Dolan] would want to see these proud Black men ‘Yes, siring’ a racist president — it hurts my heart so much to even think about it,” Reid complained. “It wouldn’t be their fault, but it would be so, to me, demeaning.”

Her guest on the show, The Atlantic writer Jemele Hill, completely agreed.

“He’s purposely putting them in the line of fire of a administration that has been openly hostile to Black folks,” Hill said. “It’s messed up because the players will get the brunt of [the criticism].”

Hill said she had no problem with players skipping out on going to visit the White House when Barack Obama was president. But she said this time was different, because it seemed like Dolan was “forcing” his players to go.

“I’m tired of this whole narrative that this is about ‘respecting the office.’ The person in the office actually matters,” Hill continued. “One thing that a lot of White people get the benefit of doing is being politically neutral; Black people don’t get to be that.”

Reid and Hill shared their takes a week after the Knicks won the title for the first time since 1973. Trump congratulated his hometown team soon after, giving a shoutout to “star” Jalen Brunson and “great Patriot” Mitchell Robinson, among other players.

Trump attended the one game the Knicks lost in the NBA Finals — game three at Madison Square Garden. His attendance was slammed by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who whined that Trump would ruin the “vibe” for the Knicks and NYC.

Apparently, he didn’t mess it up too much, though, because the Knicks bounced back and won the next two games. 

Jason Cohen contributed to this report.

Watch above.

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