‘I Can’t Even Read This’: MSNBC Host Struggles to Decipher Trump’s Jan. 6 Statement
By Jake Beardslee ·
December 15, 2024
During a discussion on Donald Trump’s plan to potentially pardon Jan. 6 rioters if he assumes office again, MSNBC’s Alicia Menendez expressed frustration over the former president’s muddled remarks to Time magazine. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
Speaking with attorney Marc Elias on The Weekend, Menendez attempted to read from Trump’s Time interview in which he outlined his pardon considerations, but found his syntax too disorganized to interpret. JASON BEAN/RGJ / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Menendez began quoting Trump: "'I'm going to do case by case and if they were nonviolent, I think they have been greatly punished. And the answer is I will doing that, yeah, I'm going to look if there's --.'" Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
Stopping mid-sentence, she admitted, "I can't even read this, the syntax is so bad." Menendez then pivoted to her guest, explaining that Trump’s remarks could be viewed as a signal to future perpetrators about leniency for similar actions. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
Elias responded by commending Time magazine for not altering Trump’s statement, saying, “First of all, I have to give Time credit for one thing: not cleaning up his syntax. You’re right, you read the words uncleaned up, it’s incoherent.” JASON BEAN/RGJ / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
