Greg Gutfeld, host of Fox News’ “The Five,” weighed in on the firestorm caused by Donald Trump’s comments about Arizona Sen. John McCain during Monday’s episode, surprisingly taking conservatives — and his own employer — to task.
“If Eric Holder had said this — Fox News, we would be covering it 24-7. And we would be demanding resignations and investigations, which is why we have to hold Donald Trump to the same standards,” Gutfeld said.
Gutfeld’s comments came after statements made by Trump in Iowa on Saturday about McCain’s military record, during which he said, “He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.”
Since those comments, Trump has been subject to demands for an apology from all over the spectrum, but less so from its more conservative end, according to Gutfeld.
“Donald’s not to blame for being Donald,” he said. The fault lies with those who yield to his rules … His repeat defenders always paint Trump’s gaffes as blunt honesty … they let stuff slide. If Obama had mocked McCain’s service, the right would storm the White House.”
McCain and Trump have been at odds since the senator slammed the billionaire during an interview with the New Yorker on Thursday, in which he said that Trump “fired up the crazies” with his immigration-focused rally in Phoenix last week. Trump has remained defiant since his response, refusing to apologize for his remarks about McCain’s time as a prisoner of war.
“When you see righties defending jokes about POWs, it says this game of ‘I’m more conservative than you’ is about ego and not issues,” Gutfeld continued. “Trump is your id, not your conscience. And so we embraced him, exposing TV’s true purpose, which is ratings. An election is in 16 months, but ratings come out for us every single day — and Trump delivers.”