*Sigh* Last time we spoke about Fox News host Jesse Watters, he said it was “cruel and unusual punishment” to make former president Donald Trump sit for his own trial.
At the time, his cohosts offered no rebuttal. However, the same can’t be said for a recent clip of Watters discussing how he views Vice President Kamala Harris’s potential capabilities as a president.
During a segment on The Five, Watters was addressing Harris’s role in the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan when he questioned how she might handle foreign policy. He said, “We don’t know who she is. We don’t know what she believes. She’s going to get paralyzed in the situation room while the generals have their way with her.”
Watters: She’s going to get paralyzed in the situation room while the generals have their way with herJeanine: I don’t like thatWatters: Not in a sexual way pic.twitter.com/xmtAjShIwT
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 26, 2024
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The two female cohosts, Dana Perino and Jeanine Pirro, immediately speak up, with one urging, “Jesse, I don’t like that. Take it back.”
He doubled down, repeating, “Have their way with her.” Then, further clarifying, “Control her.”
“Not in a sexual way,” he said with a smile.
The 23-second clip instantly sparked backlash. On Twitter (now known as X), one user commented, “This is straight-up misogyny. There is no basis for these attacks other than she’s a woman & thus not cut out for this. There’s no other angle here. It’s so fucked.”
such a sexist piece of shit. need his sensible mom to call into the show again & drag him. Like, this is just straight-up misogyny. There’s no basis for these attacks other than she’s a woman & thus not cut out for this. There’s no other angle here. It’s so fucked. https://t.co/XLz8qQ1TWK
— ️🏳️🌈 sunny day 🇺🇸 (@littlelostsunny) August 27, 2024
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Others perceived the comment to be a veiled “rape joke,” like this user who suggested, “Any other network would fire you for this shit.”
.@JesseBWatters: Your “rape joke” about Kamala Harris was absolutely intentional and sexual in nature. And you are truly one of the most vile and disgusting people on television. Any other network would fire you for this shit. https://t.co/xSIOBPCuNf
— Andrew—Author of America Rises On Substack (@AmoneyResists) August 27, 2024
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And the discourse led some to conclude that the “appalled” reaction by Watters’s cohosts shows he took his words too far.
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Former Republican lawmaker Barbara Comstock, for one, said, “When even Fox Hosts can’t abide the intentional misogyny against @KamalaHarris by the dumbest and most obnoxious man on Fox, Jesse Watters.”
When even Fox Hosts can’t abide the intentional misogyny against @KamalaHarris by the dumbest and most obnoxious man on Fox, Jesse Watters. The brain worms that have “their way” in this boy’s head… https://t.co/tqnUWWmx3M
— Barbara Comstock (@BarbaraComstock) August 26, 2024
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The video, which reached over 9.2 million views, even caught the attention of Kerstin Emhoff, the ex-wife of Harris’s husband, Douglas Emhoff, who wrote in response, “There are many things to worry about, but Kamala being manhandled in the situation room is not one of them.”
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In response to the criticism post-airing, Watters said in their next episode:
“There’s been some attention to comments I made on the show yesterday about VP Harris,” he said. “People are misconstruing my comments to mean something inappropriate. I wasn’t suggesting anything of a sexual nature. I was expressing my opinion that VP Harris’s current leadership style could be an issue if elected.”
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
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