We brought you the story yesterday of The New York Times editorial board’s Mara Gay, who is also an MSNBC analyst, asserting that American flags were “just disturbing.”

What she said was very clear.

NYT/MSNBC’s @MaraGay: In Long Island last weekend, I saw “dozens of American flags,” which was “just disturbing” pic.twitter.com/RhGdqqJope

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) June 8, 2021

She basically called tens of millions of Trump voters racists, said we have to figure out how to “separate America from whiteness.”

“I was on Long Island this weekend … and I was really disturbed. I saw dozens & dozens of pickup trucks w/ explicatives against Joe Biden on the back of them, Trump flags, in some cases just dozens of American flags, which, you know, is also just disturbing, because essentially, the message is clear, it was, this is my country. This is not your country. I own this.”

But now, the New York Times is trying to spin past this, with this ridiculous tweet, claiming she was being taken out of context.

New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay's comments on MSNBC have been irresponsibly taken out of context. Her argument was that Trump and many of his supporters have politicized the American flag. The attacks on her today are ill-informed and grounded in bad-faith.

— NYTimes Communications (@NYTimesPR) June 8, 2021

“New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay’s comments on MSNBC have been irresponsibly taken out of context. Her argument was that Trump and many of his supporters have politicized the American flag. The attacks on her today are ill-informed and grounded in bad-faith.” They called out their PR department to handle the blowback. It took them all day and this was the best they could come up with?

No, it was completely clear in context; you can’t slip out of it that way. The context actually makes it worse. Not only is it clear that she was falsely accusing 74 million Americans of being racists, but she was attacking America itself, not just its flag. Not to mention her attack, not on white supremacy, but on “whiteness.” It was really a mess.

People weren’t buying it.

Spin away – we heard her loud and clear.

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 8, 2021

Unfortunately, she wasn’t helping her cause with her own attempt at spinning.

I see I’m being trolled with the American flag this morning. Trolling a Black journalist with the American flag is not the own some people think it is.

— Mara Gay (@MaraGay) June 8, 2021

Please, tell us more, dig the hole deeper.

Grow up. My uncles fought for that flag. You’re a disgrace.

— Jennifer Oliver O’Connell (@asthegirlturns) June 9, 2021

It is truly terrifying that this Noble Person had to suffer by seeing American flags in the United States. We cannot tolerate such hate. Ban the American flag for peace. @BarackObama is my president. Thoughts and prayers.

— Gad Saad (@GadSaad) June 9, 2021

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) finished off her remarks and the New York Times defense.

"The American flag is bad because Trump liked the American flag."

The New York Times thought this was good damage control?!?!?

Makes you wonder what was left on the cutting room floor. https://t.co/UrlGLujS68

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 9, 2021

Trump Derangement Syndrome is not the defense that The New York Times thinks it is for a flat-out attack on the flag and the fact that they would defend her comments rather than simply say they were wrong, says everything about them.