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Geraldo Rivera is not what one would call “part of the resistance,” but ever since Donald Trump lost re-election in November, he’s been one of the only voices of reason on Fox News. (Although he’s still not as savage as Chris Matthews.) He’s been adamant about attacking those who spread 2020 election lies. And on Tuesday he didn’t hold back when a colleague on the late afternoon pow-wow The Five had a demeaning thing to say about Vice President Kamala Harris.
Fox host criticizes Kamala Harris’ handling of the border: “This is what happens when you choose your Vice President based on gender and skin color” pic.twitter.com/tB2w74HtkP
— Kat Abu (@abughazalehkat) June 8, 2021
The group was discussing Harris’ attempts to handle the border crisis in the southern United States, particularly a curious statement she made to NBC News, in which she asked migrants “not to come” here. While his colleagues took evident glee in roasting her comments, Rivera was a lot more understanding.
“She has kind of a quirky nature that when pressed, remember in the presidential primaries, how unpleasant she sometimes comes across when she’s under pressure,” Rivera argued. He still called her tour of the border a “disaster,” but he allowed that she could “recover,” that she “can mature in office.”
But his co-hosts weren’t having it, especially longtime The Five participant Katie Pavlich, who went from attacking her actions to suggesting she didn’t properly earn her current gig. “This is what happens when you choose your vice president based on gender and skin color rather than actual talent and expertise,” she said.
Rivera wasted no time in pouncing on her, saying, “That’s so mean.”
“Oh, it’s mean?” Pavlich replied. “It’s actually true.”
“She was attorney general of the state of California, she was a United States senator,” Rivera shot back. “You can’t demean her!”
Pavlich continued to double down, claiming, “There’s a reason why she got zero votes and had to drop out of the race before they even started taking votes.”
Of course, Harris couldn’t have received zero votes if she ended her campaign before any votes were cast. But Pavlich moved on to attacking Barack Obama before segueing into a different segment critical of critical race theory.
Some on social media questioned Pavlich’s logic.
Isn’t gender and skin color how they chose this guy? #Geraldo pic.twitter.com/M42XGmiNir
— Bougie Muffin (@refinedmess) June 8, 2021
Same came for Rivera, too.
Saying the quiet parts LOUDLY: “I think she could recover, but I don’t think many Democrats are looking at [VP] thinking this is 2024 material …. wasn’t Biden supposed to be the placeholder for her?” Geraldo Rivera slamming a WOC + misogynoir coup de grâce from Katie Pavlich. https://t.co/CvlquturHJ
— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) June 8, 2021
And others found the whole thing to be a quintessential Fox News moment.
Just a perfect encapsulation of Fox right now.
One host says Kamala is “what happens when you choose your vice president based on gender and skin color rather than talent,” gets called mean by Geraldo, doubles down on it, and then teases a segment about critical race theory. pic.twitter.com/HTPAkvVWUs
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) June 8, 2021
(Via The Daily Beast)
