Joy Reid sniped Florida governor and likely 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Monday night’s episode of “The ReidOut,” slamming the divisive politician for being a “more authoritarian version of Trump.”
The MSNBC host said she’s been reading the tea leaves of the last several years as violent, racist rhetoric and organized white supremacy continue to be on the rise, from Charlottesville in 2017 to Scott Adams’ ongoing “Dilbert” cancellation.
Adams’ long-running “Dilbert” comic strip series has been pulled from dozens of major publications, including the L.A. Times, due to fallout from a racist rant he posted to YouTube. Citing that powerful men all the way up to embattled Twitter CEO Elon Musk have expressed their support of Adams, Reid emphasized that “a story about a cartoon creator becoming the voice of the Great White Male Freakout doesn’t end at ‘Dilbert’ or even at Elon Musk. It ends, or rather begins, with white grievance politics potentially becoming U.S. federal policy.”
And that’s when she zeroed in on DeSantis, his likely 2024 presidential campaign (which he’s yet to formally announce) and his new book, “The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival.”
“If Florida governor Ron DeSantis becomes president, which he is clearly aiming for, America will become the land of total government control over women’s bodies, Black history, gender identity – how you can teach, learn, read, think, even talk!” Reid said. “It would essentially be a more authoritarian version of Trump. A more action, less personality type of president who’s basically offering two options: pre-Civil Rights America, or total control of society.”
Reid’s fearful accusations come as the Florida governor continues to pass legislation that restricts how slavery and American history are taught in schools, whether or not Floridians can “Say Gay,” what women and trans folk can and can’t do with their bodies and more.
Looking to the book itself, Reid cited the New York Times book review published Monday by Jennifer Szalai, saying the review “scorched” “The Courage to Be Free” and pull-quoting a line about the “dull coldness” at DeSantis’ core.
Before inviting her two guest panelists to further speak on DeSantis’ new release, Reid paraphrased the Times’ review and linked it back to Adams, saying that “the world DeSantis is building down in Florida is one that uses the power of government to make the ‘Dilbert’ guys of the world feel comfortable – to feel good about themselves. Center.”
Watch the full “ReidOut” segment in the video above.