MSNBC host Joy Reid claimed that Jewish people in the United States are "perfectly safe" before immediately contradicting herself by stating that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies are making them less safe.

Reid made the remarks while discussing a warning from RNC chair Lara Trump about rising antisemitism. Trump had stated on Fox News that "Jewish New Yorkers are terrified to walk the street," drawing a comparison to Nazi Germany.

Initially, Reid appeared to dismiss Trump's concerns, questioning the connection between criticism of Israel's actions and a threat to Jewish people in the U.S. "You’re saying unless we allow Israel to kill at will as many men, women, and children as they want... then Jewish people in New York City, in the US, are afraid to walk the streets because it’s Nazism?" Reid asked, adding, "I can assure you, I am here in Harlem right now, Jewish people are perfectly safe walking the streets of the United States."

However, she quickly pivoted, saying, "But [Benjamin] Netanyahu has made folks a lot less safe, because people keep attaching all Jewish people to his genocidal policies." Reid emphasized this point, stating, "It’s that he’s creating a world in which people blame ordinary, regular, nice Jewish people that didn’t do anything for everything Israel does."

The Anti-Defamation League reported nearly 6,300 antisemitic incidents nationwide in 2025, with 1,160 originating from New York. In the weeks prior to Reid's comments, swastikas and the word "Hitler" were spray-painted on multiple homes and synagogues in Forest Hills, Queens.

New York Mayor Eric Adams's administration has been involved in discussions regarding the potential arrest of Netanyahu if he visits the city for the UN General Assembly in September. However, city officials have determined they do not have the independent legal authority to make such an arrest, despite an International Criminal Court warrant.

Reid's past commentary on the Israel-Hamas war, which began on October 7, 2023, previously drew scrutiny. Sources indicated that during her tenure at MSNBC, her remarks and social media posts sometimes suggested sympathy for the impact of the war on Gazan people while offering less for Israelis. Her ratings at MSNBC reportedly declined before her departure in February 2025. She has since launched a show on her YouTube channel and a Substack newsletter.