Former MSNBC host Joy Reid clashed with CNN panelists Tuesday night over President Trump’s airstrike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The exchange turned heated as Reid defended Iran and sharply criticized Israel and U.S. policy in the region.
CNN contributor Brad Todd kicked off the debate, pointing to repeated Iran-backed attacks on U.S. forces. “Iran-backed militias attacked the U.S. 170 times in Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. You know who said that? Joe Biden,” Todd told Reid.
But Reid shot back that she doesn’t see Biden as a moral authority. She blasted him for what she called “unrestrained” support of Israel and its military campaign in Gaza. “He’s allowed Israel to slaughter Palestinians,” she said.
Reid argued that Iran’s push for nuclear weapons is defensive. “If they had nukes, Israel wouldn’t attack them,” she said. “They’re getting nukes because a regional power keeps threatening and bombing them.”
She added that Israel’s own nuclear stockpile shouldn’t be ignored. “I don’t think it’s okay that Israel has nukes either,” Reid said. “They’re not even subject to IAEA inspections. So should anyone in the region have them?”
CNN host Abby Phillip jumped in, reminding Reid of Iran’s broader record. “This isn’t just about nukes,” she said. “Iran sponsors terrorism and spreads chaos and death around the world.”
Legal analyst Arthur Aidala also fired back, slamming Reid for defending a regime that kills people over their faith or sexual orientation. “They slaughter gay people,” he said.
Reid countered with criticism of U.S. LGBTQ policies under Trump. “They’re allowed to live,” she said of gay Americans, “but they can’t serve in the military. Their stories are banned from schools. It’s not exactly a beacon of rights here either.”
The broader debate echoed recent comments from Whoopi Goldberg on The View, who claimed that Black Americans are no better off than citizens living under Iran’s hardline regime. That comparison sparked its own firestorm—and now it’s fueling another.