Fox News Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade became the latest person from former Republican President Donald Trump's longtime "ride or die" network to declare Trump's claims about the 2020 presidential election results less than credible.
This is a departure for the network that once aired the President and all of his supporters spreading Trump's Big Lie about the 2020 election without rebuttal or fact checks.
You can see a clip of the moment here:
\u201cAbout face at Fox News: \u201cFox & Friends\u201d host Brian Kilmeade calls Trump \u201cunhinged\u201d, adds \u201cI have not seen any evidence\u201d of election fraud.\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1656271236
Fox & Friends host Kilmeade was a guest on MediaBuzz Sunday with host Howard Kurtz for a discussion about the January 6 House Select Committee’s hearings on Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
The Fox panel focused on testimony from Richard Donoghue—Trump's former acting Deputy Attorney General—saying Trump directed officials to “just say that the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican Congressmen."
Kilmeade said in Trump's defense:
"We all work for people or worked with people that sometimes fly off the handle."
“You know you kind of wait it out, count to ten, go back a little bit later, 'Now that you’re calm, what do you think?'. You hear that’s the way the President often works."
The Fox & Friends host added:
"The President was unhinged during that period. I interviewed him at West Point, and he was kind enough to give me a few minutes."
"I’ve never seen him so angry. That was in between the election and January 6."
"As soon as we were done, he just stormed off. And you know how long—I’ve known him for 15 years or 20 years prior to him going to the White House."
Kilmeade remarked about Trump's 2020 loss of both the popular vote and electoral vote to Democratic President Joe Biden:
"I’ve never seen him so angry."
"So he’s convinced he was robbed. There’s no doubt about it."
"But I have not seen any evidence and these are all incremental examples."
He added:
"I’ve said this before, I believe from the time when the election results came in until January 6th is the worst moment of Donald Trump’s political career, and had he just said I’ve got problems, I’m going to have my legal team look at it, going to welcome the Bidens to the White House, he’d have about 70% approval rating right now and a clamoring to have him back in office."
"It would be a coronation, not even an election."
Acknowledging Trump lost, he concluded:
"So I think how you lose in life defines who you are, and even if there are things that bother you, welcome to the world."
People wondered where Fox's love for Trump went.
\u201c\ud83e\udd14 so is \u2066@rupertmurdoch\u2069 & @FoxNews turning on trump? Brian Kilmeade \u2066@kilmeade\u2069 Becomes Latest Fox Host To Rip Trump Over Baseless Election Claims\n"How you lose defines who you are," Kilmeade said. https://t.co/szx6A5noWm\u201d— \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 \ud83c\udf3bTrump is still dangerous to democracy (@\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 \ud83c\udf3bTrump is still dangerous to democracy) 1656329576
While many concurred with Kilmeades assessment...
\u201c@Emolclause @MikeSington\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1656271236
\u201c@MikeSington\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1656271236
\u201c@MikeSington Golly! You mean the irresponsible guy you helped install into the 'confines of the White House' then voted for, a second time even after being as careless as he possibly could have been towards a once in a lifetime worldwide emergency, is actually unhinged? What tipped you off?\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1656271236
\u201c@Mediaite You know it's EFFED up when the GOBLINS on Fox News are making sense\u201d— Mediaite (@Mediaite) 1656268588
...they still found the source complicit as an enabler of Trump's lies.
\u201cDude, Trump has been unhinged for years.\u201d— Mary Featherston \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Mary Featherston \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1656332887
\u201cFox News' Kilmeade says Trump was 'unhinged' before Jan. 6 riot\n\nKilmeade \ud83e\udd23 is now sounding-off about Trump lunacy. \n\nIf Brian could make sense, I wouldn't listen to him. He has a smile - that's it. American political exceptionalism: While lying, be able to smile.\u201d— Sauvignon (@Sauvignon) 1656335738
\u201cMurdoch's got a new boy.\n\nhttps://t.co/bMtxGMplwd\u201d— Tea Pain (@Tea Pain) 1656265066
\u201cRats jumping ship, even the ignorant ones....\n\nTrump 'unhinged' after losing election, says @FoxNews host @Kilmeade \n\nhttps://t.co/QDUdZzjsTD\u201d— Geo Steve (@Geo Steve) 1656336502
\u201c@MikeSington\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1656271236
\u201c@KLB39 @Mediaite I heard Murdoch is turning on Trump so I think this is the plan.\u201d— Mediaite (@Mediaite) 1656268588
\u201c@MikeSington Knock off this BS about Trump really believes he won the election & was robbed.\n\nJust like for years he really believed Obama wasn't born in America until his pollsters told him it was hurting his numbers & he then did a 2 minute about face speech.\n\nHe's a conman conning. Period.\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1656271236
\u201c@MikeSington Show me you met with a lawyer without showing me your parking validation ticket. @kilmeade https://t.co/JKtxiLBMDL\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1656271236
\u201c@redheadb3 @MikeSington Russian Ron DeSatan is Pootin's next puppet.\nI think it's behind DeSatan gathering his own 'brown shirts'. He's the one to watch out for. He has zero scruples.\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1656271236
\u201c@MikeSington\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1656271236
Fox News was among those named in lawsuits by voting machine manufacturers for their uncensored or fact checked support of Trump's Big Lie.
Whether this accounts for the network's current trend of discrediting Trump’s lies about the 2020 election is unclear.
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