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Tag: Sean Hannity
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Hannity is wrong: Trump hoped for Jimmy Kimmel’s firing
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On Sept. 17, ABC announced it was removing Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show from the air indefinitely, after comments the comedian made about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Two nights earlier, Kimmel said that the “MAGA gang,” a reference to President Donald Trump’s supporters, tried to cast the person “who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Suspect Tyler Robinson was charged the day after Kimmel’s comments. Robinson was an unaffiliated inactive voter who prosecutors said described Kirk as someone who “spreads too much hate.” Critics derided Kimmel’s ouster as a sign that the broadcast network caved to Trump administration pressures.
Fox News host Sean Hannity said he saw things differently, calling claims of “conservative censorship” false.
“I can’t find a single, prominent conservative voice in the country that even remotely wanted or hoped or was pushing to get Jimmy Kimmel taken off the air,” Hannity said Sept. 17 on his show “Hannity.” “Nobody — it just was simple. People changed the channel. They didn’t watch him. Not one person can I think of. Maybe there’s one, but I can’t think of him.”
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Fox News did not respond to PolitiFact’s request for comment.
Has a conservative called for Kimmel to be taken off the air?
At least one major conservative advocated for the demise of Kimmel’s show in recent months: Trump. And he did so repeatedly.
In July, after CBS announced it would be canceling comedian Stephen Colbert’s late-night show as of May 2026, Trump said on Truth Social that he hoped Kimmel’s show would meet the same fate.
“The word is, and it’s a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone,” he wrote July 22. “These are people with absolutely NO TALENT, who were paid Millions of Dollars for, in all cases, destroying what used to be GREAT Television. It’s really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!”
On July 29, Trump argued that CBS canceled Cobert’s show due to his “lack of talent.”
“Everybody is saying that I was solely responsible for the firing of Stephen Colbert from CBS, Late Night. That is not true!” Trump wrote. “And it was only going to get WORSE! Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel, and then, a weak, and very insecure, Jimmy Fallon. The only real question is, who will go first?”
On Aug. 6, Trump sounded his prediction again, saying at a White House event that Fallon and Kimmel were “next.” “They’re going to be going,” he said. “I hear they’re going to be going.”
When the news about Kimmel’s show reached Trump after midnight in the U.K., he celebrated.
“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” he wrote. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible.”
Trump also said Sept. 18 that federal regulators should revoke the licenses of broadcasters who “give me only bad publicity.”
Did others push for Kimmel to be fired?
Yes — at least according to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who said during a podcast appearance that Kimmel’s suspension might be warranted.
“There’s calls for Kimmel to be fired,” Carr said Sept. 17 on conservative commentator Benny Johnson’s podcast. “You could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this.”
Carr, who Trump appointed as chair, formerly served as the commission’s senior Republican.
RELATED: Key question in the Jimmy Kimmel case: Does the FCC have the power to regulate speech?
Carr made the remarks in a video that Johnson — who has 5.73 million YouTube subscribers and 3.9 million followers on X — titled “Jimmy Kimmel LIES About Charlie Kirk Killer, Blames Charlie For His Murder!? Disney Must Fire Kimmel.” (Disney is ABC’s parent company.)
Carr also said the government could take action against ABC. “They have a license granted by us at the FCC that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest,” Carr told Johnson. “…I mean, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct to take actions, frankly on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
We contacted the FCC to ask who else called for Kimmel to be fired and received no response.
What’s behind ABC’s decision to take Kimmel’s show off the air?
ABC said Sept. 17 that Kimmel’s show was “preempted indefinitely” following backlash to his remarks.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
Kimmel then showed a clip of Trump answering a reporter’s question about how he was holding up after Kirk’s murder. “I think very good,” Trump answered, before directing journalists’ attention to the White House renovation underway nearby.
Before ABC’s announcement, two companies that own a range of ABC affiliates — Nexstar and Sinclair — said they would be preempting Kimmel’s show. (Preempting a show means not running it in an affiliate’s market.)
Nexstar announced in August that it intended, subject to regulatory approvals, to acquire all outstanding shares of Tegna for $6.2 billion. The transaction is expected to close by the second half of 2026 and will be reviewed by the FCC. Separately, Nexstar and Sinclair are also asking the FCC to repeal a rule that limits any broadcasting company from reaching more than 39% of U.S. households.
Our ruling
Hannity said he found no “prominent conservative voice in the country that even remotely wanted or hoped or was pushing to get Jimmy Kimmel taken off the air.”
Trump, the biggest conservative voice in the country, said in July that Kimmel was “next up” on the list of late night show hosts who would be fired. Trump also said of Kimmel’s and Fallon’s then-hypothetical ouster from late night shows: “It’s really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!”
Other prominent conservative voices also weighed in. Johnson advocated for Kimmel to be fired. And Carr said Kimmel’s comments about Kirk’s assassination drew calls for — and created a possible path for — his suspension or firing.
We rate this claim False.
PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird, Staff Writer Samantha Putterman and Chief Correspondent Louis Jacobson contributed to this report.
RELATED: President Trump said he ‘brought back free speech.’ His first 100 days tell a different story.
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Dr. Phil Issues Chilling Warning About Chinese Migrants Crossing U.S. Border – Suggests They’re Spies
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Source: Fox News YouTube Dr. Phil McGraw is speaking out this week to suggest that Chinese migrants crossing the U.S. border are actually spies.
Dr. Phil Sounds Off
Dr. Phil went on Fox News on Tuesday to talk to host Sean Hannity about his recent trip to the US-Mexico border, which has seen a massive influx of Chinese migrants as of late.
“We would be incredibly narcissistic to assume that these people are coming in here just because they’re in the neighborhood,” Dr. Phil said.
“What are they doing? If they’re working in farming, if they’re working in industry, I promise you they are expected to do certain things,” he continued. “Are they spying? Are they sending seeds back from farming to China? Are they getting plans from industries they’re working on?”
Daily Mail reported that while most of the migrants crossing the border were from central and South America in the past, thousands are now coming from China. During the 2023 fiscal year that ended in September, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 24,048 Chinese citizens were apprehended at the Mexico border, which is more than in the ten previous years combined.
Related: Dr. Phil Torches Kamala Harris Over Border Crisis – ‘Unlike Anything We’ve Seen Before’
Dr. Phil Doubles Down
In this same interview, Dr. Phil said that border officials told him that 13 to 14 million people have entered this country since President Joe Biden took office, which is more than double what his administration has claimed.
“We hear this number, six million people have come across under the current administration,” Dr. Phil said. “I talked to experts down there that say that number is a myth, that it’s closer to 13 to 14 million that have come across.”
“I asked them straight up, what is it you need here?” he added. “I was shocked to hear them say, ‘We don’t need more money. We don’t need more resources, we don’t need more officers, we don’t need more legislation. We just need the laws that are on the books to be followed. We need to be allowed to do our job. And we can get this under control right now.’”
Check out this full interview in the video below.
Related: Dr. Phil Rips U.S. Colleges As ‘Liberal Woke Hotbeds Fostering’ Antisemitism
Dr. Phil previously talked about the border situation, which he describes as a “humanitarian crisis,” in a video posted to social media.
“Texas law enforcement has seized over 454 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this mission. Governor Abbott has said that the federal government has broken the pact between the United States federal government and the states,” Dr. Phil said. “Governor Abbott says President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them.”
“The result is a humanitarian crisis, unlike anything we’ve seen before, smashing records for illegal immigration by wasting taxpayer dollars to tear open Texas border security infrastructure,” he continued. “Governor Abbott says President Biden has enticed tens of thousands of illegal immigrants away from 28 legal entry points along the Texas border and into the dangerous deadly waters of the Rio Grande.”
“According to the Department of Homeland Security, since President Biden took office more than 6 million illegal immigrants have crossed [the] Texas southern border in just three years,” Dr Phil added. “That’s more than the population of 33 different states in this country. And what about our Vice President Kamala Harris? Did you know she’s our country’s immigration czar? Guess how many times she’s been to the border? Once.”
Dr. Phil is one of the only celebrities who has the guts to call out Biden and discuss the border crisis. What do you think about his claims about potential Chinese spies at the border? Let us know in the comments section.
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James Conrad
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Sean Hannity Suggests That Taylor Swift Was Brainwashed By The Left
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Sean Hannity seems to think that Taylor Swift was lied to and misled by the left as he tried to get her not to support President Biden.
Hannity said, “Maybe she just bought into all the lies about conservatives and Republicans, that they’re racist and sexist and homophobic, and xenophobic and transphobic and Islamophobic, that Republicans and conservatives want dirty air and water and a total ban on all abortion with no exceptions. If she believes all that, she is believing a lie because those talking points are simply untrue. Now, I’m just saying maybe she wants to think twice before making a decision About 2024.”
Video:
Hannity: Maybe Taylor Swift just bought into all the lies about Republicans that they are racist and sexist and homophobic and xenophobic and transphobic and Islamophobic and they want a total ban on abortion… If she believes all that she is believing a lie. pic.twitter.com/rO4rLCtuaw
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 31, 2024
Republicans are the ones that are committed to making it more difficult for black people to vote. Republicans are the people who want to repeal marriage equality. Republicans in states across the country are passing laws that discriminate against trans persons, and it is Republicans who don’t believe that climate change is real and think America’s energy future is in fossil fuels. On top of it all, Republicans are passing laws banning abortion in every state where they have power, and Donald Trump already has a plan for a national abortion ban.
Taylor Swift hasn’t been brainwashed, or misled, or lied to. The Republican problem with her is that she is a powerful, successful woman who uses her brain.
Sean Hannity seemed awfully desperate to stop Taylor Swift from endorsing Joe Biden. Trump may think he is more popular than Swift, but given how his flying monkeys in the media are acting, the fear is palpable.
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Jason Easley
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Things Are So Bad That Even Sean Hannity Doesn’t Defend Trump After E. Jean Carroll Verdict
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The E. Jean Carroll verdict was so bad for Trump that Sean Hannity pretended like it didn’t exist and didn’t defend the former president on his Fox News show.
Instead of talking about E. Jean Carroll, Sean Hannity featured Rick Perry, who talked about the border and how Democrats are flipping and joining the Republican Party.
Perry said on the same day that a jury ruled that Trump must pay Carroll more than $83 million, “Texans aren’t going to put up with it. They are standing up and doing what is right. I hope that it doesn’t turn into anything worse than just being put out. But the other thing that will happen is Texas is going to become a substantially more red state than it is. Those Hispanics, historically Democrats along the border, are saying what this administration is doing, and they will walk away from the Democrat party and say no more. We’ve had it with you and we will join the party that’s rule of law and it believes in keeping our country safe and sound and economically viable. ”
Video:
Sean Hannity doesn’t mention E. Jean Carroll but instead talks to Rick Perry, who proclaims the party with a rapist as its leader is switching Democrats who are saying, “We’ve had it with you, and we will join the party that’s of the rule of law.” pic.twitter.com/yg7tgsRN5q
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 27, 2024
Hannity also featured newly minted convict Peter Navarro and even Lara Trump on his show, but E. Jean Carroll and the damages were never mentioned.
Sean Hannity will spend hours defending Trump on anything and everything, but he didn’t want to talk about the Republican nominee being a rapist and owing the woman that he was found liable for assaulting more than $83 million for defaming her.
The fact that Hannity ignored the story suggests that it is terrible news for Trump.
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If you are in a position to donate purely to help us keep the doors open on PoliticusUSA during what is a critical election year, please do so here.
We have been honored to be able to put your interests first for 14 years as we only answer to our readers and we will not compromise on that fundamental, core PoliticusUSA value.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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Jason Easley
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‘Four years of getting even’: voters in former Trump stronghold mixed on possible second term
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From the farm where he retired in the Pennsylvania countryside, Roger Williams has been keeping up with the latest news about his preferred presidential candidate, Donald Trump – including the comments he has made about wanting “to be a dictator for one day”.
Related: Scranton stands by native son Biden but even here enthusiasm is elusive
“For one day – don’t get it twisted,” Williams, 67, replied when asked about the comment that amplified fears that Trump, if successful in his campaign to return to the White House in next year’s election, would take steps to dismantle US democratic institutions.
“He wanted to put his foot down and dictate some things that needed to get done. That’s what he meant,” Williams said as he sat at 4th Street Pub in West Hazleton, a town in Pennsylvania’s north-eastern Luzerne county that was key to Trump winning the state and the presidency overall.
In the seven years since he transformed the Republican party with his 2016 election victory, Americans have grown used to Trump saying brash, strange and insulting things in public, but the comments he made about wanting to be a dictator have landed differently.
Polls show the former president is the overwhelming frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination next year, even though he is facing federal charges for his well-documented attempt to overturn the 2020 election, when voters rejected his bid for a second term and replaced him with Joe Biden.
Media outlets have already reported that Trump is considering purging thousands of civil servants and replacing them with ideological loyalists, using the justice department to retaliate against former officials who turned against him and deploying the military to crush protesters if he wins a second term in 2024. Earlier this month, Trump went public with his desire for absolute power when he took questions from conservative Fox News commentator Sean Hannity at a town hall in Iowa.
“Under no circumstances, you are promising America tonight, you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?” Hannity asked. “Except for day one,” the former president responded.
We have Biden because of Trump, and we have Trump because of Biden. I don’t want either of them to run
Chris Christie supporter Bob Capparell
“I love this guy,” Trump continued, referring to Hannity. “He says, ‘You’re not going to be a dictator, are you?’ I said: ‘No, no, no, other than day one. We’re closing the border and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator.’”
Days later, in a speech at the New York Young Republican Club’s annual gala, Trump doubled down. “I said I want to be a dictator for one day. You know why I wanted to be a dictator? Because I want a wall, and I want to drill, drill, drill,” he told the sympathetic crowd.
The former president’s foes pounced on the remarks to press their case that he is too dangerous to hold office gain. “The greatest threat Trump poses is to our democracy, because if we lose that, we lose everything,” Biden said at a campaign reception in Los Angeles.
It will be voters in places such as Pennsylvania whose judgment of Trump’s remarks will matter most. One of a handful of swing states expected to determine the outcome of next year’s presidential contest, Trump won the Keystone state in 2016, and lost it four years later to Biden. His arrival on the political scene left a lasting imprint in Luzerne county, which once leaned Democratic but broke decisively for Trump in his first presidential election, and where the GOP has generally done well ever since.
Several voters in the county who spoke to the Guardian said they remain unnerved by Trump, but the former president’s fans portrayed the concerns about his desire for dictatorship as overblown.
“That’s all bull,” said retiree Joe Belletiere, 74, of the ex-president’s remarks. “They took that out of context.”
A former Democratic who switched parties when Trump first ran in 2016, Belletiere now describes himself as a “staunch Republican”. Sipping coffee in a McDonald’s where he meets up with his friends every morning in Hazleton, a medium-sized city neighboring the smaller, more-conservative West Hazleton, Belletiere said Trump is just showing his resolve to achieve longstanding campaign promises, like building a wall along the border with Mexico, and increasing the country’s already record oil production.
“He’s going to dictate taking the wall down and opening up the oil,” he said.
Sitting nearby, 77-year-old Richard Yanac said he once again planned to vote for Trump, expecting him to bring down prices that had risen throughout Biden’s presidency due to a long list of factors, including the economy’s broader recovery from the disaster brought about by Covid-19.
“I don’t think he’d be a dictator,” Yanac said. “I’m a Trump person, and I hope that when he gets in, he shuts down the border, he starts drilling and he gets the prices down.”
Polls have recently shown a tight race between Trump and Biden, with several finding the sitting president lagging among voters in Pennsylvania. They have also shown that voters are sour on both men, and that feeling was very much alive among the retirees who hold court at the Hazleton McDonald’s.
“We have Biden because of Trump, and we have Trump because of Biden. I don’t want either of them to run,” said Bob Capparell, 74. A lifelong conservative, he’s supporting ex-New Jersey governor and Trump foe Chris Christie, or perhaps Nikki Haley, who served as the former president’s UN ambassador.
Asked whether he thought Trump could become a dictator, Capparell replied, “He would be, absolutely. You’d never get him out of office, never.”
While Trump’s triumph in Luzerne county and Pennsylvania as a whole in 2016 was one of the many shocks he gave Democrats that year, there’s evidence his staying power has waned. The county supported him again in 2020, but by a percentage point less, and Democratic candidates won four seats in the county council in last month’s elections.
Bob Buchman, 72, voted for Trump in 2016 because he “believed his baloney”, but backed Biden four years later. Faced with the same choice again, he’ll vote for Biden, if he must.
“I’d take 10 Joe Bidens before I’d take one Donald Trump. He just lies and lies and lies,” he said. “I’m afraid if he gets in now, he’ll just have four years of getting even.”
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Donald Trump reveals plans for Social Security
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Former President Donald Trump rejected assertions that he’ll have to make changes to Social Security if he wins in 2024 because America is sitting on a pot of gold.
Social Security’s future has been called into question for years given the significant costs associated with the program. The fund has been dipping into reserves when the revenue it collects falls short of the amount it pays out and it’s projected to dry up in 2033 if no action is taken.
Politicians are unlikely to let the fund run out given the program’s popularity, but Social Security’s insolvency problem has 2024 candidates flirting with the “third rail of American politics.”
During Tuesday’s town hall with Fox News‘ Sean Hannity, Trump criticized Governor Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley for their plans for Social Security reform.
“You don’t have to touch Social Security,” Trump said. “We have money laying in the ground far greater than anything we can do by hurting senior citizens with their Social Security.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a political rally while campaigning for the GOP nomination in the 2024 election at Erie Insurance Arena on July 29, 2023, in Erie, Pennsylvania. On December 5, Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that he would use oil revenue to fund Social Security.
Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
Trump’s plan to help save Social Security involves tapping America’s oil supply in a similar way that Saudi Arabia does. “It will take care of everything,” Trump said.
Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of petroleum and made over $202 billion in oil exports in 2021, according to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Oil revenue helped start Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is being used to invest in companies and industries outside of oil in the hopes of diversifying the economy.
“We have more oil and gas than they do,” Trump said. “We can be rich again.”
The U.S. Energy Information Agency reported that the U.S. is the largest producer of oil and in 2021, the U.S. exceeded Saudi Arabia’s oil production by about 10 million more barrels per day.
At the start of the town hall, Trump told Hannity he will open up oil drilling in the United States on day one of his presidency if he wins in 2024.
Trump isn’t the only candidate talking about Social Security. At the Republican presidential primary debate on November 8, Haley advocated for raising the retirement age for younger people, including her own children. She would keep payments in place for people nearing retirement age and said payments need to better reflect life expectancy.
On Tuesday, Trump criticized DeSantis and Haley for wanting to “play around” with Social Security and DeSantis for shifting his position on changing the retirement age.
Newsweek reached out to DeSantis via email for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication.
In 2013, DeSantis voted for a failed Republican resolution that would have raised the age to qualify for Medicare and Social Security to 70. In July, he told Fox News he was open to changing Social Security for people who were in their 30s or 40s. However, in November’s debate, DeSantis said raising the age made little sense given that life expectancy in the United States is declining.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Gavin Newsom Eviscerated Ron DeSantis During Their Fox News Debate, and It Wasn’t Even Close
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However, despite the many, many instances in which Newsom eviscerated DeSantis, we’d argue that the worst moment came when the California governor spoke about the sorry state of mental health in Florida, to which DeSantis…held up a map of feces.
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It’s obviously hard to overstate the magnitude of this kind of unforced error, but it will clearly henceforth be known, in debate clubs around the world, as “pulling a DeSantis.”
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Bess Levin
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Rumble In The Fox Den: Sean Hannity’s Newsom Vs. DeSantis Debate Proves A Wasted Opportunity
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If there were winners out of Fox News’ debate between California’s Gavin Newsom and Florida’s Ron DeSantis tonight, it was Joe Biden, Donald Trump and the Walt Disney Company. If there were losers, it looks to be the Sunshine State Governor himself, civility and Sean Hannity.
Live from Alpharetta, Georgia, the crowd free Great Red Vs Blue State Debate saw the incumbent POTUS get big props and support over and over from his ambitious adoptive political son. On the other side fo the aisle, the Hannity moderated event left the former Celebrity Apprentice host actually looking like a heavyweight compared to the shrill DeSantis.
Far from the chumminess of Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman’s VP debate in 2000 as well as the verbal and philosophical sabers of the dramatic Town Meeting of the World between then California Gov. Ronald Reagan and Senator Robert F Kennedy via satellite in 1967, this insult match was reminiscent in all the wrong ways of Biden and Trump’s first debate in 2020.
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Of course, the difference is Ron DeSantis is running for the 2024 GOP nomination for President and Gavin Newsom, who quoted from the Great Communicator tonight in whacking down Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, isn’t running for anything in 2024 – as he pledged tonight under pressure from Hannity and his fellow governor.
Which means in the short term, Newsom had nothing to lose by playing in the Fox den.
Quipping “Ron, relax” and labeling DeSantis as “nothing but a bully,” Newsom had the best two lines of night. On the flip side, DeSantis often called his foe a liar as Newsom deamed the Florida governor’s record on Covid as one of flip flopping, at times parroting some of the same points made by Trump.
“I had Disney open during Covid and we made them a fortune and we saved a lot of jobs,” DeSantis bellowed after the West Coast Democrat took the first of several digs at him over recent jurisdictional and legal battles with the Bob Iger-led House of Mouse. “You had Disney closed inexplicably for over a year. You were a lockdown Governor, you did a lot of damage to your people,” DeSantis added, literally stomping over his own attempt to resurrect the tension in 2020 between Newsom and the then Bob Chapek-run company over Disneyland closures.
Trolling each other for months and throwing mud at the other’s state, leadership and Oval Office dreams, Newsom and DeSantis’ long-awaited dogfight was ultimately a wasted opportunity.
Even more so that the participants themselves, the debate floundered because it didn’t live up to its own fair and balanced hype. From the start, this proved to be an extension of Hannity’s opinion show, with many of the questions tailored to put Newsom on defense. With a squint and a redirection of ambition, FNC’s Hannpalooza could be seen as a backhanded audition for The Daily Show co-hosting gigs for the ultimately termed out Governors if Newsom hadn’t been so dominate.
The debate certainly wasn’t the planned crowning achievement for its moderator, who seemed out of his comfort zone for most of the 90-minute debate.
The Great Red Vs Blue State Debate kicked off with Hannity declaring “I will be moderating this debate, I will not be part of the debate.” Unfortunately for Hannity, that proved to be very true within minutes as the Fox host lost control of the proceedings. The two governors went at each other with little regard for time limits or rules of engagement.
Put it this way: You know you have a problem when you have to declare in the first half hour as Hannity did that “I want this debate to breath …I don’t want to be a hall monitor.” A plea he had to make twice. Even before that, the moderator’s Switzerland stance dissipated pretty quick with the first trio of questions being standard Fox News-host digs at the Golden State.
Hannity insisted towards the end of the debate that he was “not a potted plant,” but the candidates continued to talk over one another.
Getty Images
Having said that, the issues aside, the lack of an audience was one distinct upside this debate provided. The contenders on stage may have not had a lot to say to each other, but the lack of the constant interruptions and partisan crowd applause and groans was a welcome relief and a blueprint for the future.
Slamming Newsom as slick and willing to tell “a blizzard of lies,” DeSantis came out swinging while a comfortable Newsom played it cool circa Clinton 1992 with a bit of Obama flare and slipped the shiv to the Florida governor. Newsom’s accusation of DeSantis taking “America in reverse” and trying to “out Trump Trump” by sending migrants from non-border Florida to Martha’s Vineyard and Sacramento left political blood on the red carpeted set.
“By the way, how’s that going for you Ron?” Newsom then mocked DeSantis. “You’re down 41 points in your own home state,” he added in what was a Trump campaign ad waiting to be made.
“As he continues to talk over me, I’ll talk to the American people,” Newsom said earlier, adding “as you smile and smirk over there” to an often-wide-eyed DeSantis. Claiming West Coast Democrats are on an “ideological joyride” when it comes to crime and trying to shame Newsom over his pandemic French Laundry scandal, DeSantis smartly pivoted again and again to Fox viewers.
Newsom was willing to attack DeSantis from the right, or to borrow from Trump, as he did quoted the former president’s “Red Ron” pro-China kick at the Florida Governor.
The well-publicized debate was locked down ages ago when DeSantis looked like likely GOP alternative to Trump. DeSantis’ decline in the polls, though, didn’t appear to diminish interest in the matchup with Newsom. The event was heavily promoted and hyped on Fox hype throughout the day on Thursday. The Five kicked off with Dana Perino calling it “the Red vs. Blue showdown we’ve all been waiting for.”
While the stakes for DeSantis were clear, Jesse Watters made the case that it also was a risk for Newsom as well. He noted that “Newsom has to be good, but he can’t be too good.” “What I mean is Newson has to be good so he has to establish himself as the heir apparent as the alternative in case something happens to Joe…. But if he’s too good … then you’re going see donors and pundits start drafting him and telling Joe Biden to clip the campaign, and that’s going to create a war. And I don’t think the Democratic Party wants that.”
The night’s dust-up between the two governors did offer a rare chance for an unnuanced live and direct clash of visions for the nation and the world. Some of that came through, but much time was spent trying to discern what the candidates were even saying to the other, something that Hannity tried to remind the both of them.
There are other dates on the calendar that will give DeSantis the opportunity to command media attention for his record in Florida. Next Wednesday is another Republican debate, this time hosted by NewsNation, the upstart news network that has had a fraction of the Fox audience. In two weeks, a federal court will hear arguments in his motion to dismiss Disney’s First Amendment lawsuit, in which the company alleges retaliation after it came out against the governor’s parental rights law, dubbed the “don’t say gay” bill. The real big date on the calendar is January 15, the day of the Iowa caucuses.
Newsom repeatedly reminded DeSantis that he was trailing in the polls, he suggested that he drop out to boost Nikki Haley and he predicted that neither one of them would be a nominee in 2024. As much as Hannity tried to steer the debate into questions of policy, often noting California’s downsides vs. Florida’s upsides, the evening often was one of jostling and jabs. And when it comes to who will be facing off against each other in 2024, Newsom may very well be right.
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Dominic Patten
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Opinion: How did California's Gov. Newsom fare against his Florida rival, Gov. DeSantis?
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What the hell was that?
Ostensibly, Thursday’s debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is not running for president, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is, was supposed to be an exploration of the ideological differences between the two chief executives.
After all, one is the embodiment of progressive, blue-state policies and a high-profile surrogate for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The other represents the younger, less orange face of Planet MAGA, and, as it became clear, can’t pronounce “Kamala” correctly.
Twenty minutes in, however, I had a headache. There was so much cross-talk and interrupting — by both governors — that it was impossible to hear what they were saying.
If a third debater had been onstage, they almost certainly would have piped up, “See folks, this is why those two should not be on this debate stage.”
It was actually pretty funny that Sean Hannity, an unabashed supporter of former President Trump who engineered this overhyped meeting of ideological opposites, positioned himself as the grownup in the room, the guy who wanted to take the temperature down a few notches in order to get his loaded questions answered.
“Let each other breathe,” pleaded Hannity. “I don’t want to be the hall monitor.” Don’t worry, Sean, you weren’t. He prefaced one of his loaded questions thus: “Joe Biden has experienced significant cognitive decline.”
DeSantis performed better than I expected against the voluble Newsom, who has two decades of political experience to DeSantis’ one. In three previous Republican debates, DeSantis failed to distinguish himself, appearing almost wimpy next to the verbally muscular former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has overtaken him in polls. (Which probably explains why he agreed to debate Newsom after refusing to for most of the past year.) He landed well-deserved blows about California’s infamous, and well-acknowledged, problems — homelessness, in particular.
The problem with this spectacle was that too many incompatible things were simultaneously going on: The flailing DeSantis was trying to reestablish himself as a viable GOP alternative in the event that Trump’s felony indictments make him, finally, unpalatable to Republican voters.
Newsom was trying to raise his national political profile, defend the Biden-Harris record and argue that California is a better place to live than Florida. (Which, of course, it is.)
Did Newsom have anything to lose? Not really.
Yes, we all know that California is expensive, and that for the first time in forever, more people are leaving than coming in. Yes, we had lockdowns during the pandemic. This was the gist of DeSantis’ argument that he’s the better governor.
And yet, as Newsom pointed out, more Floridians have recently moved to California than Californians to Florida.
“There is one thing that we have in common,” said Newsom. “Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.”
Oh snap.
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Robin Abcarian
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Fox News debate with DeSantis puts Newsom on the defensive
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis turned their feud over blue and red state policies personal Thursday, clashing for more than 90 minutes over crime, taxes, COVID-19 pandemic policies, immigration, book bans and other divisive issues in an unorthodox debate that both men hoped would propel their national political ambitions.
California has “failed because of his leftist ideology,” DeSantis said of Newsom, whom he called a “slick politician.”
“There’s one thing … that we have in common,” Newsom said. “Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.”
The forum in Georgia between the liberal Democrat and the conservative Republican, hosted by Sean Hannity on Fox News, culminated months of shadow boxing between the two governors, who have used their states’ opposing partisan approaches to governing to attack each other.
Newsom was on the defensive for much of the debate as Hannity focused on taxes, crime, late-term abortions, California’s high gas prices and other topics on which conservatives believe they have the upper hand politically. Newsom responded by ignoring or reframing many of the questions.
DeSantis, who has seen his once-promising presidential campaign sag, recognized an opportunity to take down the leader of the most prominent Democratic-led state, which he attacked as a bastion of unhinged progressive policies that have led to lawlessness and mass departures.
Newsom, who may run for president in 2028, saw an opportunity to cement his reputation as a warrior for Democratic values, unafraid of Fox News and Republicans, as he savaged DeSantis’ vision of freedom as phony in a state where books are banned and abortion rights are curtailed.
The risks for both men were clear. Some viewers may see the obvious downgrade in DeSantis’ campaign as he battles a governor who is not running for president, instead of former President Trump, the overwhelming favorite to win the GOP nomination, or President Biden, the man he hopes to ultimately unseat. Newsom could come off as too eager for attention and overconfident in believing he could dispatch DeSantis, who came well prepared, in a debate moderated by Hannity.
It’s unclear whether Thursday’s debate will change minds on policy. But viewers got a clear contrast in a nation where differences are more often being played out in the states, which are increasingly dominated by a single party.
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Noah Bierman, Taryn Luna
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Sean Hannity’s Gaslighting Post-Election Abortion Claim Doesn’t Fool Onlookers
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In the face of resounding victories for abortion rights in Tuesday’s elections, Sean Hannity quickly started rewriting facts for Fox News viewers.
“Democrats are trying to scare women into thinking Republicans don’t want abortion legal under any circumstances,” the host said Tuesday night.
As many commenters pointed out on social media, the main reason for that perception is probably because it’s true in many cases.
Since the majority-conservative Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, ending federal protections for abortion, Republicans in nearly two dozen states have moved to ban or heavily restrict access to abortions.
Former President Donald Trump, the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, had pledged in 2016 to appoint justices to the court that would overturn the landmark abortion case. He did.
In Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia, abortion is now banned in almost all circumstances.
In Georgia and South Carolina, abortion is banned after six weeks of pregnancy. Other states have bans after 12, 15 or 18 weeks.
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), who Republicans just unanimously elected House speaker, has a long anti-abortion record, and co-sponsored a bill in 2021 that would have nationally prohibited abortion past about six weeks of pregnancy, when many women don’t even know they’re pregnant yet.
Hannity said he considers himself “pro-life,” but acquiesced “that’s not where the country is,” and insisted that, based on his recent interview with Johnson, the issue would be left up to the states.
Fox News contributor Charlie Hurt followed up Hannity’s remarks with a deluge of misinformation, misleadingly claiming that Democrats support abortion up to the point of birth and “possibly beyond.” This is a frequent misrepresentation made by Republicans about abortions in the later stages of pregnancy, which are exceptionally rare and usually occur due to medical reasons or fetal anomalies.
Hannity’s remark got a swift fact-check from commentators online, including former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who pointed out the law in her state:
See some of the other reactions below.
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Sean Hannity Says He’d Use MMA Skills To Protect Himself In A Mass Shooting
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Fox News host Sean Hannity used the devastating Lewiston shooting to bring up his own “personal security plan” that involves using his mixed martial arts training to protect himself during a mass shooting. What do you think?
“Smart. A mass shooter would surely take pity after seeing something that pathetic.”
Maggie Ramirez, Swingers Advocate
“It takes a true independent thinker like Hannity to come up with an idea like punching someone.”
Tom Gomez, Scent Investigator
“I could totally see him choking out a bullet.”
Dylan Pino, Unemployed
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‘It’s The F**king Weapons’: Democrat Gives New GOP Speaker Blunt Fact-Check On Guns
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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) immediately reverted to conservative platitudes on gun control ― and his Democratic colleagues stepped in with a fact-check.
“It’s actually the fucking weapons,” he wrote.
Other Democratic lawmakers also fired back:
Johnson also said Republicans will defend “the right of the citizens to protect themselves,” presumably by not allowing for any new gun laws. He said House lawmakers are “deeply concerned” about the situation in Maine and that it’s “not the time” to talk about legislation.
His critics on X let him have it:
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Critics Sock Sean Hannity Over His Bizarre Personal ‘Plan’ For Mass Shootings
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Sean Hannity had one combat sport in mind while outlining how he gears up for potential shootings just hours after a mass killing in Maine left at least 16 people dead on Wednesday.
“And then I always ask the question – when something like this happens, what is your plan? What do you do? I have a personal security plan. I train in mixed martial arts,” the Fox News host mentioned in an interview with GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
“I’ve been a big believer in the Second Amendment for a long time with the prayer that I would never have to use it.”
The Fox News host’s comments arrived after the deadly shootings at a bar and bowling alley in the city of Lewiston, the state’s second-largest city. Law enforcement sources told the Associated Press that dozens of people were also wounded in the shootings.
State police have since identified a person of interest in the shootings: a military-trained firearms instructor who was committed to a mental health facility for two weeks over the summer.
Hannity went on to ask Haley what she views as the “underlying cause” of shootings in America before the candidate called for “serious law and order,” the defunding of sanctuary cities and to acknowledge “the cancer in America that is mental health.”
Social media users mocked Hannity over his mention of his MMA training, joking that he’s training to “block bullets with his body” during a shooting.
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House Dem Spots 1 Very Awkward Problem In GOP Plan To Make Trump Next Speaker
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Some far-right Republican members of the House say they want Donald Trump to become the next speaker after Kevin McCarthy’s stunning ouster on Tuesday threw the body into chaos.
GOP Reps. Troy Nehls (Tex.), Greg Steube (Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor-Greene (Ga.) all tweeted in support of Trump becoming speaker, while Jim Jordan (Ohio) told Fox News that if Trump wants to be speaker “that’s fine, too.”
Fox News host Sean Hannity claimed Trump “might be open” to the idea.
There is no rule saying the speaker must be a member of the House, although every speaker so far has been.
But there’s a big problem with the GOP plan to make Trump the first non-member to wield the gavel: Their own rules.
Rep. Sean Casten (D-Il.) gave his Republican colleagues a reminder of Rule 26, which was adopted in January and states that any GOP leader indicted of a felony with a potential prison sentence of 2 years or more needs to step aside:
Trump has been indicted on 91 felony charges, many of which carry potential sentences far above 2 years.
By late Wednesday, “Rule 26” was trending on X, formerly known as Twitter.
That’s not the only kink in the plan.
House speaker is a labor-intensive job. Trump, on the other hand, is better known for spending as much time as he can playing golf. During his four-year presidency, Trump spent nearly 300 days on the golf course, as the former president’s critics noted on X:
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Americans Guess Trump’s Weight
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Derek Peterman, Cashier
“Trump looks like he’s between 11 ounces and 2,000 pounds, so 215 seems pretty close.”
Justin Iglesias, Army Veteran
“Zero pounds. Angels are weightless.”
Frank Barnes, Woodworker
“It’s impolite to talk about a former president’s weight.”
Salvador Gutierez, Dentist
“575,250 jelly beans.”
Melania Trump, Homemaker
“He’s 400 pounds, but a lot of that is pus weight.”
Thurston Wesley, Florist
“7 pounds, 4 ounces, exactly like it was at his birth.”
Martha Kaydor, Consultant
“He’s gotta be about 280 pounds with all that rock hard flab.”
Rachael Ray, Celebrity Chef
“Two heaping tablespoons.”
Camilla Genovese, Retired
“I don’t know, but not enough! He’s so thin, just skin and bones. Here, I’ll heat him up some leftover chicken parm.”
Pete Miller, Butcher
“He’s equivalent to about 300 1-pound packages of festering ground beef.”
Marcus Williams, Butcher
“I realize that he’s bulging in some places but that’s just because his body is filled with spiders and those things are so light that they can walk along a web without breaking it. 115 pounds is my final answer.”
Lester Knox, Fast Food Worker
“I lost count at 261.”
Alaina Williams, Brand Manager
“Perfect just the way he is.”
Angelika Graham, Nonprofit Fundraising
“Eighty cubits, which is to say 500 fathoms. Twenty corgees, 6 poods, 96 grzywanas, or one great big munjandie.”
Margaret Howell, Homemaker
“Fatter than my sister-in-law but not fatter than my mother-in-law.”
John Ackhurst, Roofer
“They say muscle weighs more than fat, so he’s probably about two pounds.”
Flub Dederdam, Mortician
“I would tell you, but he’s resisted every effort I’ve made to approach him in public and lift him up.”
Sean Hannity, Television Broadcaster
“He’s about 225 lickable num num nums.”
Jared Olson, Bartender
“One nipple weighs 3 oz. And Trump has 800 nipples. How much does that equal in pounds?”
Dan Mott, Startup Founder
“Trump has more fat, pound for pound, in his little finger than many people have in their whole body.”
Heather Tezuka, Intern
“Who cares? Even Jesus was overweight.”
Sasha Begonia, Chef
“I would put him at 250 pounds of mouthwatering marbled fat, perfect for a day of slow-roasting in a stew or goulash with carrots, mushrooms, a few sprigs of thyme, and a dash or two or red wine to really brighten things.”
Donald Trump, Former President
“I’m going to make myself throw up until I’m pretty again.”
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Jim Jordan Stammers And Babbles During Awkward Fox News Interview
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Jordan and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) spoke with Hannity about hearings earlier in the day with FBI Director Christopher Wray, who is the latest target of right-wing rage due to the criminal case against Donald Trump.
When the conversation turned to Hunter Biden, Jordan seemed to lose all train of thought.
“That’s exactly what happened with, yuh, with the decision, the, the, uh, when it came to the uh, the decision with uh, Mr. uh,” Jordan said, then reset himself.
“I’m drew a blank there, Sean, I apologize,” Jordan offered. “I got a huge echo in my ear, I can’t even hear.”
Hannity typically plays up even the slightest verbal stumbles by President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris as a cause for national embarrassment, and did so on his show on Wednesday.
But he was a lot more forgiving of Jordan.
“Sorry about that,” Hannity said.
Jordan’s critics piled on:
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Sean Hannity Says Chris Christie Believes He’s On A Mission From God
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Sean Hannity snarked that Republican Chris Christie was running for president because of a higher calling. (Listen below.)
“He just thinks … God has anointed him to be the Trump slayer,” the Fox News host said on his radio show Friday.
Hannity criticized the ex-New Jersey governor for going “full-on-woke” after he decried the state bans on gender-affirming care for young people. Hannity suggested Christie was a RINO who relished taking up space on the Republican stage while currying favor with mainstream news outlets.
“Chris Christie is not a Republican,” Hannity said. “Chris Christie is on a mission to be liked by the media mob, and he’s there to do as much damage to all ― every conservative candidate, and he’s taking up space on a stage, has no desire, absolutely no hope of ever being president. And he just thinks that it’s ― God has anointed him to be the Trump slayer. Well, Donald Trump is probably not going to any of these debates.”
Sean Hannity recently criticized Republican Chris Christie’s presidential run, saying the former New Jersey governor thinks “God has anointed him to be the Trump slayer.” Republican hopefuls are scheduled to debate for the first time on Aug. 23, but who exactly will be attending is up in the air. Trump has questioned why he would debate when he has such a large lead, and others may balk at the Republican National Committee demand that GOP candidates pledge to support the eventual nominee.
In the meantime, Christie has been one of the few candidates to blatantly attack Trump ― and he’s paying the price for it.
He was booed while telling a conservative conference on Friday, “I’m running because Trump let us down. He’s unwilling to take responsibility for any of the mistakes that were made, any of the faults that he has, and any of the things that he’s done.”
He’s called Trump, whom he once coached for presidential debates, a “petulant child.” He said Trump’s ego and vanity in the face of legal jeopardy had traumatized the country and that he had inflicted his own wounds in the classified documents case by willfully hoarding the government files after he was ordered to return them.
Christie received praise from one of sports media’s most powerful voices, Stephen A. Smith.
But Christie is still a longshot.
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