During the show, Todd pointed to a letter to the editor of the Lexington Herald Leader from January, in a bid to introduce an argument as to why many US voters still support Trump.
"[W]hy do people support Trump? It's because people have been trained from childhood to believe in fairy tales... This sets their minds up to accept things that make them feel good [...] The more fairy tales and lies he tells, the better they feel [...] Show me a person who believes in Noah's ark and I will show you a Trump voter", Todd said.
"This gets at something, Dean, that my executive producer likes to say, 'Hey, voters want to be lied to sometimes.' They don't always love being told hard truths", Todd told New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet.
Baquet responded by suggesting, "I'm not convinced that people want to be lied to. I think people want to be comforted, and I think bad politicians sometimes say comforting things to them".
Todd's comment, with its unequivocal link between the Christian Bible and the modern-day ubiquity of fake news was heavily slammed by various US-based editors.
"On a morning after an attack on people of faith, @ChuckTodd uses an ugly Letter to the Editor to mock religious people. What a repugnant individual", NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck tweeted.
"The fairy tales Chuck Todd told us for years about the Steele dossier have more to do with media distrust than Noah's Ark", The Federalist publisher Ben Domenech wrote, referencing the controversial files reportedly documenting Trump's behaviors compiled by British ex-spy Christopher Steele.
Trump campaign deputy director of communications, Zach Parkinson, in a tweet echoed the flow of criticism.
"If Chuck Todd's wondering why Trump voters don't trust the mainstream media, one reason might be they don't like supposedly impartial reporters insinuating the real reason they support the president is because they 'want to be lied to' and comparing the Bible to 'fairy tales'", Parkinson tweeted.
Netizens took to social media to express their indignation about Todd's assertions.
NBC and chuck Todd are a disgrace to religion in America and now have called the BIBLE a fairy tale! How could anyone in their right mind listen to it watch Todd when all he spreads is fear hate and lies! The American people know all to well that nbc and chuck Todd are the enemy https://t.co/jN0iv2Fgei
— Ed Brighindi (@ELB1959) December 29, 2019
Chuck Todd basically declared Jesus Christ is no more than a fairy tale.
— T Pat (@tlpatrno) December 30, 2019
Chuck Todd can’t get 200 people to believe him. 2 billion people believe in the events of the “fairy tale” bible for 2000 years!
— Jeff Rausch (@cjeffr1961) December 30, 2019
This is coming from a guy who believes the fairy tale that he is a good journalist! BTW, I love Jesus and believe every word in the bible and whoever wants to hate on me for that fact go ahead and do so....
— Eric Souser (@souser_e) December 29, 2019
Meet The Press isn't good enough to even be called a Fairy Tale. Anybody old enough to remember Creature Features?
— #Winning (@Regan93831019) December 30, 2019
