The network did it in order to perpetuate a myth that makes its predominantly-White, liberal audience members feel good about themselves. The myth is that the only African-Americans in the country who support the president are financially motivated hucksters putting on a minstrel act for some imaginary cigar-chomping conservative White man.

Despite Mr. Melvin’s protestations, I cannot recall a single instance of the network asking a question like that of any one the deep roster of Black faces it has on to defend every embarrassing gaffe and racially insensitive remark that comes out of Joe Biden’s mouth.

MSNBC pulled the exact same stunt with my fellow Trump-supporter Bruce LeVell last week.

It’s a narrative that MSNBC’s White viewers crave because it lets them feel like one of the “good Whites” who stand selflessly on the side of poor, helpless Black people — who they casually assume are universally in favor of the big-government policies favored by their White “allies.”