MSNBC host Chris Hayes sparked the anger of Joe Biden supporters Wednesday night by reporting on the sexual assault allegation against the former vice president, according to The Hill.

After Hayes discussed the accusation made by former Biden staffer Tara Reade during a segment, #FireChrisHayes began trending on Twitter.

What's the story? Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, has been accused by Reade of sexual assaulting her in 1993 when Biden was in the Senate. The Biden campaign has denied the allegation in a statement, but he has not been asked about it during media appearances.

Hayes was interviewing Rebecca Traister of New York Magazine about an article she wrote, titled, "The Biden Trap," which focused on Biden's silence about the allegation while his female supporters are questioned about it.

"What this is creating is a kind of a perfect storm where the women who are being asked to support his opponent are now being asked to answer for these charges," Traister said. "In part because of the vacuum created by Joe Biden, who is not yet really directly answering these questions, and certainly, not doing what I wish he would, which is to say: 'Please direct your questions about these allegations to me, and not the women that are out there offering their support to my candidacy.'"



Hayes agreed with Traister that Biden needed to step forward and address the issue himself and relieve the pressure of those around him, such as Stacey Abrams, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and other Democratic women.

This acknowledgment of the accusation sparked backlash online.

A sticky situation for Democrats: Biden's prominent female supporters find themselves in a difficult situation — particularly those who have urged the public to "believe all women" who make sexual assault allegations, such as those previously made against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh or President Donald Trump.



Biden is now attempting to walk the line of advocating for believing women while also maintaining that this particular woman who is accusing him is lying — a task made easier by mainstream media outlets who don't force him to address the accusation during interviews.