Joy Reid Goes Off on Most Bizarre Rant Yet: 'DEI About Disabled Veterans, Not Race'
The ReidOut host Joy Reid made a surprising interpretation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) this week, claiming it was not about race, gender, or identity politics but about supporting disabled veterans.
During a discussion with her guest, Everett Kelley, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees, they both criticized President Donald Trump‘s executive order to shut down DEI offices across federal agencies.
Reid began by referring to the order and asking Kelley how his union would respond.
“This memo, we can put it up on screen, and it went to all heads and acting heads of departments and agencies, shuttering DEI offices and other things. What is the union’s response going to be?” Reid asked.
Kelley argued that the t public misconceptions about DEI need to be corrected.
“We have an obligation to educate the public as to what DEI really is because, number one, it’s not affirmative action as some might think,” Kelley stated.
He then framed DEI as a program that accommodates disabled veterans in federal jobs.
You heard that right.
Watch
“DEI is about making sure that, say, a veteran may have a handicap, an injury from the services, and come to work for the federal government,” Kelley said.
READ: Joy Reid Busts Out Tinfoil Hat with Rambling Conspiracy Theory on LA Wildfires
“DEI would make sure that that veteran has the, I guess, I would say the opportunity to work in a job, and they were placed in a position where they could accommodate that veteran and so that they can do their job.”
Kelley then insisted that DEI has been misunderstood as a program focused on racial or gender quotas.
“It’s not about the color of a person’s skin. It’s about disabled veterans being accommodated,” he added.
Reid chimed in, dismissing the idea that DEI is a racial or gender-based initiative.
“And it’s not a quota program. Let’s just be clear. They believe DEI just means black people getting jobs, and so when they see a black person in any job, they say, ‘Oh, that person’s a DEI hire.’”
Reid also pulled out the race card to target anyone daring to question Vice President Kamala Harris’s qualifications.
However, then-candidate Joe Biden openly admitted that choosing a female running mate was a result of mounting pressure from within the Democratic Party for him to select a black woman.
Reid and Kelley’s claim that DEI is a patriotic program for disabled veterans flies against the reality that it is actually about gender equity and LGBTQ+ inclusion.
It appears they are trying to repackage DEI for it to survive under Trump’s presidency.
Regardless of their attempts to re-market DEI, Trump moves forward with his plans to eliminate it from federal agencies.
READ: MSNBC’s Joy Reid Forced to Take Pay Cut as Ratings Plummet