Byron Donalds Slams Joy Reid's 'Crabs in a Barrel' Comments

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) has denounced MSNBC host Joy Reid's characterization of him as the "Black guy" Republicans use to feign African-American support. Donalds accused Reid of engaging in "crabs in a barrel" behavior and highlighted the diversity present at former President Trump's Bronx rally.

Representative Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida, has vehemently denounced MSNBC host Joy Reid's disparaging comments that he is merely a pawn used by Republicans to present a façade of Black support.

Donalds, in an interview on Fox News Sunday, labeled Reid's remarks as "nothing more than crabs in a barrel." He asserted that her criticism stemmed from his differing viewpoints and aspirations.

"Just because I have a different viewpoint, different way of looking at the world, different politics, now, all of a sudden, I'm being used," Donalds proclaimed. "You can make an argument that MSNBC is using her."

Reid has a history of targeting Black Republicans like Donalds and Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), branding them as superficial tokens for the party. In 2023, she ridiculed the nomination of Donalds as House Speaker as a cynical attempt to enhance the party's diversity, declaring, "Any Black guy will do."

In 2021, Reid downplayed Scott's participation in a press conference opposing a minimum wage mandate as merely a means of adding a "patina of diversity." The previous year, she referred to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as "Uncle Clarence," a thinly veiled allusion to the derogatory "Uncle Tom" slur used against Blacks perceived as overly subservient to Whites.

Despite Reid's attempts to diminish Donalds' significance, he attributed the diverse attendance at Trump's Bronx rally to the "disaster" created by Democrats in New York City and across the nation.

"You had a very diverse crowd, people from the Bronx, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Black people, White people, all there supporting President Trump, because they've seen the disaster that is New York City," Donalds explained. "They've seen the disaster that has come to the United States of America because of the master of disaster, Joe Biden himself, and they want Donald Trump back."

Donalds vehemently rejected the notion that Trump strives to divide Americans along racial lines.

"We're looking at expanding the political map, not shrinking it based upon race or anything else, because that's what Joy Reid and Joe Biden and the rest of them want to do," Donalds said. "They want to shrink the political map based upon previous dogma and racial lines."

"That is not what President Trump's focus is," he emphasized. "His focus is on all of America."

Donalds' comments echo his previous criticisms of Reid's divisive rhetoric. In 2021, he called out Reid for perpetuating "harmful stereotypes" that pit Black Americans against one another.

Reid's controversial remarks have sparked widespread backlash, with many accusing her of engaging in racially insensitive and divisive behavior. Despite the criticism, Reid has defended her statements, claiming that she is simply holding Black Republicans accountable for their political positions.