Joy Reid Bursts Out Laughing at Nikki Haley’s ‘Black Friends’ Line During Town Hall: ‘Maybe We Should Interview Some’ 

Joy Reid and Michael Steele had a few chuckles at the expense of Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who referenced her “Black friends” while trying to clean up comments she made about the Civil War.

At a New Hampshire campaign event last week, Haley was asked to give the cause of the conflict.

“I mean, I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was gonna run,” she replied, without mentioning slavery. “The freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do.”

She later clarified her remarks and elaborated further during a CNN town hall on Thursday night, which Reid replayed on Friday’s edition of The ReidOut.

“I should have said slavery right off the bat, but if you grow up in South Carolina, literally in second and third grade you learn about slavery,” Haley said. “You grow up and you have– you know, I had Black friends growing up. It is a very talked-about thing.”

“Then how do you forget it in that moment?” Steele wondered aloud after the clip ended.

“Why did she deploy the I have ‘Black friends’ bit?” an incredulous Reid asked. “Why did she do that?”

“I, ugh, I can’t,” Steele reacted.

“Michael, but when people say, ‘I have Black friends,’ don’t you want the next– the follow-up question to be, “Ok, can you give us their names?”

“No, my follow-up is usually, then why did you just say the ish you said,” Steele said, using a euphemism for “shit.”

“Maybe your Black friends should check you,” Reid said, referring to Haley. “Maybe you shoulda talked to your Black friends before you answered the question about the Civil War, Nikki from South Carolina.”

Reid closed the segment by saying, “Maybe we should interview some of her Black friends,” adding, “Call me, Black friends. Call me”

Watch above via MSNBC.