Fox News host Ed Henry criticized MSNBC host Joy Reid for injecting race into a discussion about GOP support for President Donald Trump.
Responding during Saturday’s “AM Joy” to a recent poll indicating that a majority of Republicans think Trump is a better president than Abraham Lincoln, Reid said, “There’s a lot of evidence that is a racial and religious cult of personality, in which his base is solidly among the white evangelicals that almost worship him and say that he’s the chosen one of God.”
Asked about Reid’s comments on Fox News’ “MediaBuzz,” Henry told anchor Howard Kurtz that he does not “think race applies” when it comes to support for the president.
“Frankly, I don’t understand why she injected race,” said Henry. “I don’t think race applies.”
Acknowledging that the “vast majority” of Trump’s supporters are white, Henry pointed out that the president is “making a strong play for more and more black voters.” (RELATED: Ed Henry Presses Matt Gaetz On Why He’s Not ‘Demanding’ White House Counsel’s Presence At Hearing)
“We’ll see if he’s successful, but when you’ve got black unemployment at historic lows right now and you have a president who’s trying to reach out to people of all backgrounds and say ‘I want your vote, I need your vote,’ I just don’t understand why race is part of the conversation,” he said. “It just doesn’t apply and I think some people like to project themselves, their own anger at the president, their own criticism and read into what he’s doing or saying rather than just focusing on what he’s actually doing instead of projecting ‘this is what he really means. We’re going to divine it.”