Jill Biden's former spokesman blasts progressives who label DEI critics as "white supremacists"

First lady Jill Biden's former press chief went off on progressives and Democrats on social media for trying to associate all conservatives with white supremacy. Michael LaRosa, who was Jill Biden's spokesman until 2022, responded to a comparison by an MSNBC Democratic talk show host who claimed that Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee to be secretary of defense, was a white supremacist.

LaRosa criticized his fellow progressives for this kind of behavior which, he claims, has cost Democrats the White House and reputation in the eyes of many Americans. "This sh*** has to stop. Opposing DEI initiatives does not make you a white supremacist. Conversations and demonization like this are a big part of the reason we got our asses kicked," he wrote on social media.

LaRosa was referring to comments by Sherrilyn Ifill, who hours earlier appeared on Chris Hayes' MSNBC show to comment on current political events.

Ifill, former president of the legal defense fund of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), commented that Hegseth, who opposes DEI policies, is a white supremacist. These comments drew pushback from MSNBC, but Ifill stood by them.

On set, host Chris Hayes clarified that "Hegseth would strongly deny being a white supremacist." "I just want to go on the record," he added. To this, Ifill responded that Trump has also denied it, accusing the president-elect of the same.

"The answer to extremism is not more extremism," Michael de LaRosa stated in his comment to Ifill's accusations. "Voices like this on the left are turning the Democratic Party into a joke. We’ve got to knock it off and get serious guests who are going to diagnose politics, not make it worse," he continued.