NYT editorial board member says it’s ‘stupid’ for reporters to hold Harris and Trump equally responsible

New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay said it’s “a little silly” for reporters to hold Vice President Kamala Harris to the same standards as former President Trump.

Gay was a guest on Thursday’s “Morning Joe,” where the MSNBC host lamented the “sacred” wall between editorial and news when it comes to presidential candidates, adding how absurd it was to believe there was an “equivalence moral” amid criticism of Trump. and Harris.

Gay agreed that “the choice is clear” between the two, suggesting there should be a different standard applied to Trump.

“I think the challenge, not just for journalists, but really for the country, is that not only is Donald Trump a threat, but, you know, it lowers the bar. So I don’t think it’s unacceptable. And I think it’s important that our role as journalists really push every candidate for office,” Gay said.

“And there’s a lot we could hear from the vice president and we’d like to hear more about political speeches,” she continued. “It would be nice to see him take more questions from the press. Those things are important.

“It’s just the difficult context because of the extremism of the Republican Party, because of how extreme Donald Trump is, it’s difficult to hold both candidates equally accountable because one is committed to democracy and is functioning as a normal candidate from a normal American. party, and the other not.”

“And so, you know, this is about the extremism of the Republican ticket. And it is important that all candidates are responsible. “It’s just that when you do that, it sometimes sounds a little silly, because given the breadth of what the vice president is offering the American people, there’s no comparison to Donald Trump,” concluded Gay.

The NYT’s editorial board announced last month that it would no longer make endorsements for state and local races, though it would still endorse presidential candidates.

“As the institutional voice of The Times, the editorial board serves our mission to help our global audience understand the world by providing a consistent and independent view of the world based on time-tested institutional values,” said the Times opinion editor. , Kathleen Kingsbury in a. statement given to Fox News Digital at the time.

“While elections everywhere remain critical to the lives and experiences of our audiences, the editorial board is halting the approval process for the New York election. We remain a journalistic institution rooted in New York City, historically, today and in the future. Our newsroom will continue to aggressively report on New York’s electoral races, and Opinion will continue to provide perspective on the races, candidates and issues at hand.”