MSNBC host Tiffany Cross claimed that a “civil war” is already happening in America on Thursday.
Cross was filling in for Joy Reid on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut” when she made the claim.
She and former NSC senior director for counterterrorism Javed Ali discussed the criticism of the FBI for their raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
The FBI reported that the organization has received several death threats, and a gunman even attempted to breach their Ohio office.
“You have millions of people turning into a propaganda network every night,” Cross said. “As if that were not bad enough, that’s an extremist network itself, you have these fringe pop-up outlets from OANN to Newsmax. Then you have the social media component.”
When Ali called for political rhetoric to decrease, Cross said it may be too late.
“You are saying that we have to deal with the rhetoric. I agree with you, but there is not really rhetoric that we can deal with,” she said.
“The train has left the station. There is no dealing with the rhetoric. At this point, we need to have serious conversations around preparing for actual violence,” she added.
“People keep saying a Civil War is coming. I would say the Civil War is here. And I don’t mean to be hyperbolic,” Cross continued.
She pointed out that in the past week, two people tried to “declare war with FBI field offices.” “At this point, I don’t think we’re going to pack up our bags and go home and sing kumbaya.”
Cross then asked Ali what could be done to prevent violence. “On the average everyday American side, it’s just trying to be a responsible citizen,” he said.
“If you’re hearing this rhetoric from a neighbor or a friend or somebody like that, engaging in a conversation to try to cool things down. Right now, yes, the atmosphere in the U.S. is very heated. Hopefully, we can de-escalate things,” he added.
“I hear your point about having a conversation,” Cross said. “I don’t know if it’s my ministry to have a conversation with a Gaetz supporter,” she added before calling them “willfully ignorant.”
Several media outlets have recently attacked Republicans, calling them extreme for criticizing the FBI raid, while others are pointing out the dangerous rhetoric from the left that has led to violence, crime, and a border crisis.