A Fox News contributor compared Hillary Clinton’s constant presence on the political scene to a case of ‘herpes,’ and the network immediately apologized to the former Secretary of State.
Anna Paulina, a conservative commentator, joined a panel discussing Hillary’s private email server, a topic recently resurfaced due to reports of Ivanka Trump’s use of a private account, and statements from President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who suggested Clinton should still be investigated.
Rick Leventhal, who was hosting the panel segment, said he was “amazed” that the former First Lady is being discussed to this day with “everything going on in the world.”
Paulina surmised that the woman just won’t disappear from the public consciousness, attempting to add a little humor.
“She won’t go away,” Paulina deadpanned. “She’s like herpes.”
.@RickLeventhal : “I am just amazed that with everything going on in the world, we still have @HillaryClinton in the headlines.”@realannapaulina: “She won’t go away. She is like herpes.”
It got reaaaaaaal awkward after that 😂 😂 😂 pic.twitter.com/U8cqTkHsDK
— The Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 23, 2018
Fox News falls all over themselves to apologize
The network and their hosts immediately scrambled to apologize for Paulina’s comments.
“Okay, that’s news that we are breaking here,” Leventhal responded almost immediately. “Not appropriate.”
The anchor would later add that the segment was indeed cut short saying it was due to “some of the language used in the segment and we apologize to our viewers for that.”
Fox, meanwhile, issued a statement seeking the former First Lady’s forgiveness … on-air!
“We are all Americans, and that is the focus, and we want to reiterate that we do not condone the language that Anna Paulina just displayed here, and we apologize to Secretary Clinton for that,” anchor Arthel Neville said. “Fox News does not condone her sentiments.”
Fox News Apologizes For Guest Who Likened Hillary Clinton To ‘Herpes’
—
ANNA PAULINA, director of TURNING POINTS USA
—
ANNA PAULINA is indeed MISGUIDED, and SHOULD BE CENSURED;
The KEY is that ONE USUALLY HAS FUN CONTRACTING HERPES.
—https://t.co/yT6aDIRSXd— Laughing Nimbus (@10ofWands) November 23, 2018
Good Lord, could you clutch your pearls any harder over a joke?
Herpes comment very tame compared to anti-Trump rhetoric
Suffice it to say, had this joke occurred on any other network and it was directed at President Trump, it would have just been another day at the office. There would have been no apology. Segments would not be cut short. Colleagues in the media would not be discussing it days after the fact.
We know this because of the media’s long, storied history of calling Trump far worse than a bad case of herpes.
Here’s a short rundown:
- A New York Times contributor called the Trump family the “scum of the Earth.”
- PBS host Tavis Smiley said the President was essentially a segregationist.
- Comedian Wanda Sykes called the President an “orangutan” who is racist, sexist, and homophobic, the latter of which is something Hillary herself has said of Trump and his supporters.
- Univision’s Jorge Ramos called Trump “the loudest voice of intolerance, division, and hatred right now in America.”
- CNN contributor Ana Navarro, repeatedly refers to the President on her social media accounts as a “¡Coño!” which is a derogatory term for female genitalia.
If @realDonaldTrump wants to try to do something to contradict the widely-held perception that he is a dark-hearted racist, there is a quick way for him to do it: exert some damn leadership and pass #DACA. Pass it now. ¡Coño!
— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) January 14, 2018
Perhaps Fox would best be served by following Neville Goddard’s advice after the network apology had been issued – “lighten up.”
