MSNBC’s Craig Melvin apparently cannot conceive of a black person who would support President Trump. And it seems Melvin is not the only one at the cable network who struggles with this issue.
The concept is apparently so foreign at MSNBC, in fact, that more than one black Trump loyalist has been asked in the last week by network staffers whether the White House is compensating him for his support.
Melvin most recently asked pro-Trump Democratic state Rep. Vernon Jones of Georgia whether his support for the incumbent president is contingent on a cash payout. It seems pretty insulting.
“Are you a paid campaign surrogate?” Melvin demanded of his guest this week during a contentious interview. “Are you being compensated?”
Jones responded, “I don’t get a dime for this president. I don’t get a dime from the campaign. Everything I’ve done has been me and based on my principles. See, that’s the problem. When an African American — ”
Melvin interrupted, patronizingly demanding of his guest, “Sir, I did not raise your race,” adding, “You’re not going to imply that I asked that question because you’re black.”
Jones persisted, insisting that Melvin asked his question only because the lawmaker does not fit the “narrative.”
“I don’t want anything from this president,” said Jones. “It’s what I can do for my country, and you need to accept that many other African Americans and others support this president because of his policies. And to insult me to say am I getting paid, that is disgraceful.”
The lawmaker added, “That is disgraceful, and that’s representative of MSNBC and their narrative to keep blacks silent who happen to support this president. Why can’t I be like white liberals or other whites? Nobody questions if they’re getting paid? So, I have to get paid? Do you ask Democrats are they getting paid? Are you getting paid by Joe Biden? Have you ever asked any host whether they have been paid by Joe Biden.”
Melvin affirmed that he has asked that question of Democrats and then promptly ended the interview.
Curiously, when Reggie Love, who is black, endorsed former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg in the 2020 Democratic primary, Melvin did not question whether President Obama’s former special assistant’s support for a candidate with a troubled record on race was tied to cash. On the contrary, and as the president’s campaign response team defensively noted, Melvin said specifically of Love’s support that it appeared to come “from the heart.”
Also, Melvin’s question for Jones is not a one-off for MSNBC. This the second time in less than a week that a network host has asked a black Trump supporter specifically whether he is being paid to stump for the president.
MSNBC host Tiffany Cross, who like Melvin is black, asked Trump’s Diversity Coalition Executive Director Bruce LeVell last weekend whether the White House had promised him something “financially” in return for his “blind support” for the president.
She also asked, “Why would anybody in the community or people who don’t support white supremacy — why would they listen to you carrying this president’s water?”
These are not standard questions for all MSNBC guests, as anyone who is familiar with the left-wing network’s programming can tell you.
