Internet Condemns Jen Psaki and Rachel Maddow for Mocking Virginia Voters' Border Crisis Concerns

MSNBC's coverage of Super Tuesday sparked controversy. Rachel Maddow and her panel found amusement in and ridiculed the concerns of Virginia Republican voters regarding the border and immigration. During the segment, Joy Reid, a left-leaning anchor, critiqued White working-class Republican voters.  She implyed that their decisions were racially motivated, overlooking the economic benefits they received from President Joe Biden, whom she described as a "White working-class guy himself."

Joy Reid said, "They're voting on race. They're voting on this idea of an invasion of Brown people over the border." Former White House press secretary for Joe Biden Jen Psaki agreed, saying, "Look at some of these exit polls. I live in Virginia. Immigration was the number one issue," Reid chuckled. "Well, Virginia does have a border with West Virginia," Maddow continued, drawing laughter from the other panelists.

Tuesday night's easy win over Nikki Haley in Virginia was part of the primary series that established former President Donald Trump as the front-runner for the Republican nomination. With the support of a sizable number of Republican delegates from Texas, California, North Carolina, and Virginia, Trump won 12 out of the 13 states. The panel cited exit surveys indicating that Republican voters prioritized immigration. "You're thinking like, what?" stated Psaki. "Trump has indoctrinated people with this fear of people who do not look like them being a threat to them."

Every election cycle, Maddow lamented, "we get reminded about the borders," particularly when a Democrat is in office. However, Republicans have long criticized Biden's border policy, as record numbers of migrants have entered the country under his administration. "You make these things an issue, you make them into boogeymen… as long as there's a Democratic incumbent to blame on it," she continued. The group expressed disapproval of Trump's involvement in sabotaging bipartisan border legislation this year, claiming he was unwilling to find a solution.

On MSNBC, conservatives took exception at the lighthearted segment. The House Judiciary GOP wrote on X Tuesday, "Democrats are laughing about the illegal immigration that’s hurting your city." "Maybe they should read about Laken Riley. Disgusting." While jogging on the trails surrounding the University of Georgia campus, Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student, died. Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old national of Venezuela who was residing in the US illegally, is accused of killing her.

Riley was mentioned by the well-known X account End Wokeness as well. Riley's funeral was held on Friday by her family. "Jen Psaki and Rachel Maddow mock West Virginians for worrying about immigration despite their distance from the border," according to the account. "Athens, GA is 1,211 miles from the border. Ask the parents of Laken Riley if distance matters." Even a well-known Trump critic attacked MSNBC for the piece. Former Republican congressman Joe Walsh, who has turned into a fierce opponent of Trump, described it as "pretty damn arrogant."