In recent days, former MSNBC anchor Joy Reid has sparked significant controversy with her outspoken condemnation of President Donald Trump, Elvis Presley, and other figures whom she categorizes as “mediocre White men” whose achievements are either stolen or counterfeit.

This commentary came during an interview with Wajahat Ali on his “The Left Hook” substack podcast, in an episode provocatively titled, “How Mediocre White Men and Their Fragility Are Destroying America.”

Reid’s critique centers on what she describes as a pervasive phenomenon across American institutions—“mediocre White men” lacking authentic cultural creativity, who instead appropriate the accomplishments of Black people to elevate themselves.

This theme was illustrated by her pointed criticism of Trump’s recent efforts to reform the Kennedy Center and review the Smithsonian Institution’s historical exhibits ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.

Wajahat Ali opened the episode by discussing Trump’s controversial “hostile takeover” of the Kennedy Center, an institution that had recently embraced more diverse and progressive programming, including drag queen performances.

Under Trump’s direction, the Kennedy Center is shifting towards content that is decidedly conservative and pro-American.

Trump himself announced this year’s Kennedy Center awards and is slated to host the ceremony.

Reid and Ali argue that White conservatives lack the cultural foundations necessary to generate original contributions.

“These people cannot create culture on their own,” Ali stated.

“Without Black people, Brown people, the DEIs, there’s no culture in America.

We make the food better.

We make the economy better.

We make the music better.

Right? MAGA can’t create culture.

They got Cracker Barrel and Kid Rock.”

Reid further claimed that White conservatives engage in a form of outrage culture where they complain and “tattle” rather than debate issues intellectually.

“They don’t have the intellectual rigor to actually argue or debate with us,” she said.

“What they do is they tattle and tell.

They run and tell teacher that ‘the Black lady or the Brown man was mean to me.’

And that’s what they always do.”

During the interview, Reid wore hats symbolizing her political and cultural stances—initially one referencing the historically debated 1619 Project, then switching to one emblazoned with “FDT” (an acronym for “F*** Donald Trump”).

She expressed particular disdain for Trump’s scrutiny of the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibits, accusing him and his supporters of attempting to sanitize the brutal history of slavery in America.

“They can’t fix the history they did,” Reid said emphatically.

“Their ancestors made this country into a slave—a slave hell, but they can clean it up now because they got the Smithsonian.

They can get rid of all the slavery stuff.

They got PragerU that can lie about the history to the children.

They can’t originally invent anything more than they ever were able to invent good music.”

Reid’s commentary touched on the contentious issue of cultural appropriation in music, specifically addressing the legacy of Elvis Presley.

She argued that Black Americans gave birth to many foundational genres, including country music, hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and rock and roll, yet White artists have often been credited as pioneers.

“We Black folk gave y’all country music, hip-hop, R&B, jazz, rock and roll,” Reid asserted.

“They couldn’t even invent that, but they have to call a White man ‘The King.

’ Because they couldn’t make rock and roll, so they have to stamp ‘The King’ on a man whose main song was stolen from an overweight Black woman.”

This comment references Elvis Presley’s famous rendition of “Hound Dog,” originally recorded by Big Mama Thornton, a Black blues singer, and written by two Jewish-American songwriters.

Presley’s version, released in 1956, was faster and more upbeat, propelling him to stardom but also sparking debates about cultural theft and appropriation.

The response from the White House was swift and dismissive.

Spokesman Harrison Fields called Reid “too unhinged for MSNBC” and accused her of failing to acknowledge her own privileges.

“Joyless Reid is an ungrateful hack who fails to acknowledge her privilege.

Whatever remains of her success would only be possible in the United States of America, the same country she degrades for sport.

She was too unhinged for MSNBC and was fired.

Instead of changing her act, she’s doubled down on stupid,” Fields said.

Fox News Digital reached out to PragerU for comment—an organization Reid mentioned as part of her critique—but did not receive an immediate reply.

Joy Reid’s remarks have reignited debates about race, culture, and the ownership of American history and music.

Supporters praise her candidness in addressing systemic inequities and the erasure of Black contributions to culture.

Critics accuse her of divisiveness and oversimplification.

This discourse reflects broader tensions in contemporary America, where conversations about identity, history, and cultural legacy continue to provoke passionate responses.

The intersection of politics, media, and culture remains a battleground where narratives are contested and redefined.

As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, these debates are likely to intensify, prompting reflection on how America’s story is told and who gets to tell it.