The hosts of “Fox & Friends” on Friday got into a lively debate over President Joe Biden’s Thursday-night speech calling calling Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican supporters represent an “extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
Host Steve Doocy argued that there exists a division within the Republican Party comprised of traditional GOP members and MAGA supporters. But not everyone on the studio set agreed with that assessment.
“So what he is doing is talking about MAGA Republicans,” Doocy said. “Not all Republicans were MAGA just like not all Democrats, you know, love the squad. So, there are different factions within the Republican Party. What he’s doing is focusing on the people who fall in line with Donald Trump…”
Doocy saw it as a strategic move for Biden to ignite his base just a few short months before the upcoming midterm elections. But co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy did not see it the same way as she interjected: “I would say the vast majority of Republicans are probably MAGA Republicans. There is the smallest sliver of people who agree with Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger,” she said, referring to the two outgoing Republican House members who joined the committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. “I think really he is insulting millions of people…”
This prompted fellow host Brian Kilmeade to jump into the conversation and argue, “The squad is extremist, and MAGA is not extremist. January 6th is an aberration,” to which Campos-Duffy responded “Of course!”
Doocy noted that he thought Biden was attempting to “divide the Republican party by name. He was talking about the MAGA Republicans and the mainstream Republicans.” But his co-hosts clearly were not hearing any distinctions.
In his speech, Biden warned of the repercussions that may result if Republicans aligned with Trump retake control of the government. “MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution. They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not recognize the will of the people. They refuse to accept the results of a free election. And they’re working right now, as I speak in state after state, to give the power to decide elections in America to partisans and cronies, empowering election-deniers to undermine democracy itself.”
