Fox News is criticizing its own hosts, Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro, for appearing with President Trump at a rally on the eve of the midterm elections.
Last night in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, President Trump was making a last-minute campaign stop for Republican Senate candidate Josh Hawley. But he apparently had a big surprise planned for attendees.
At one point during the rally, he invited Hannity and Pirro to join him on stage to stump for Republicans. You can watch the momentous event below:
Listen to that crowd ROAR!
You don’t see excitement like that at many political rallies. Trump already brings out a lot of excitement when he takes the stage.
Fox News as a network was not pleased, however. The network released a statement criticizing Hannity and Pirro. Take a look:
Fox News statement on Hannity and Jeanine Pirro’s participation at the Trump rally last night pic.twitter.com/NsVN6imjLw
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) November 6, 2018
That’s not all. According to Oliver Darcy of CNN, many Fox employees were displeased with Hannity’s appearance:
“People throughout the company think a new line was crossed,” one senior Fox News employee told CNN Business on Tuesday.“It disturbs me to my core,” said another senior Fox News employee, who added, “I am so f—ing mad.”“We were all told that Hannity was going to interview the president, but no one that I spoke with expected what happened last night,” added a third senior Fox News employee. “I’m aghast as are a number of other people.”
I spoke to more than half-a-dozen Fox News employees about Hannity’s appearance at Trump’s rally.
Some of the comments I received from senior Fox employees:
“It disturbs me to my core. I am so f—ing mad.”
“I’m aghast.”
“…A new line was crossed.”https://t.co/TKUc1ytBzf
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) November 6, 2018
Hannity defended himself, saying the appearance wasn’t planned.
What I said in my tweet yesterday was 100% truthful. When the POTUS invited me on stage to give a few remarks last night, I was surprised, yet honored by the president’s request. This was NOT planned.
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) November 6, 2018
I don’t expect that kind of statement to please the liberal media, which looks for every reason to tear down Fox and Hannity.
It’s no secret that President Trump is a huge fan of Fox News. He considers Pirro’s popular program a must-watch show. (RELATED: President Trump Considers Judge Jeanine Pirro’s Fox News Show a Must-Watch.) Trump also considers Hannity a close confidant, and confides in him regularly when it comes to optics and appearance.
That’s why it wasn’t surprising to see Hannity and Pirro join Trump on stage. What’s hypocritical is so many ostensibly neutral outlets feign outrage over the appearance. CNN is a radically anti-Trump network. None of its hosts should be upset when a conservative news host appears with a conservative president. (RELATED: CNN President Jeff Zucker Admits They’re Exploiting a Trump Gold Rush.)
Don’t expect any of the sanctimonious hosts of CNN or MSNBC to acknowledge their bias, though.
