Meet The Press host Chuck Todd discussed a new NBC / Wall Street Journal poll that said showed race relations are the worst they have been the 25-year history of the survey, with 74 percent saying they are bad.
"Race relations are the lowest point in the history of our poll, in more than 25 years. The previous low was in October of '95," Todd said, which was the month of the O.J. Simpson murder trial acquittal. "Back then, 61 percent said race relations were bad, while 34 percent thought race relations were good."
The new poll reflects the increasing tensions felt by Americans after the massacre of police in Dallas and the killings of African-American men by law enforcement in Minnesota and Louisiana.
"A whopping 74 percent of all Americans say race relations are bad, and only 24 percent say they are good," Todd said.
A separate poll showed African Americans particularly are feeling increasingly negative about the country, Todd added.
A standard poll question asks Americans how they are feeling about the direction of the country.
"In January, African-Americans were a net positive on this question. 18 points ahead on the positive side, saying the country was headed in the right direction," Todd said. "Now, African Americans are in a negative standpoint, minus 22 points, saying the country is headed down the wrong track. A 40-point swing in just six months. It's obvious all of this has had an impact."