Former Republican President Donald Trump is faring poorly in recent polling about the 2024 election and nobody seems more upset about it than Fox News.
After reporting on Trump's poor numbers, the hosts of the Fox's morning show Fox & Friends immediately went into damage control mode, racing to mollify the former President.
All but personally apologizing for Trump's bad polling numbers, co-host Brian Kilmeade begged Trump not to kill the messenger in a display many on social media are called "pathetic."
See the moment below:
\u201cPossibly the most pathetic thing I've seen on TV\n\nDoocy: 55% of Republicans want someone other than Trump\n\nKilmeade: If Trump is watching just let him know we didn't come up with those numbers!\n\n(He then tries to invalidate the poll they just bashed Biden w/)\n\nh/t @Payarm18\u201d— Lis Power (@Lis Power) 1659016763
The poll, conducted by CNN, revealed 55% of Republicans don't want Trump anywhere near the White House again and hope someone else will clinch the 2024 GOP nomination.
After co-host Steve Doocy presented the polling numbers, Kilmeade interjected to make sure Trump wouldn't get too mad at them.
“If the former President is watching, you should know those are just the numbers you are relaying. You didn’t come up with those numbers."
Doocy then repeated CNN conducted the poll, prompting Kilmeade to snark:
"They are right as often as Halley’s Comet comes by.”
Kilmeade seemed to have forgotten the entire reason they'd brought the poll up in the first place—to bash Democratic President Joe Biden by highlighting the poll's number of Democrats who are supposedly "turning on" him.
Doocy, seemingly concerned Kilmeade was going to ruin their anti-Biden moment, replied:
“So, you are saying all we talked about for the last four minutes is not accurate?”
Kilmeade responded by reiterating his message to the former President.
Trump spent part of his day Monday railing against the network on his Truth Social platform.
“I’m just saying, Donald Trump is watching."
"If Donald Trump is watching, just let him know we didn’t come up with that number. That’s what the poll said.”
On Twitter, people cringed hard at the spectacle.
\u201c@_R_S_S_ @LisPower1 @Payarm18 The *ss-kissing is just too bizarre and they\u2019re not doing it well!\u201d— Lis Power (@Lis Power) 1659016763
\u201c@LisPower1 @shawrls @Payarm18 .@kilmeade has worn out multiple knee pads praising Trump in his own special way. @FoxNews\u201d— Lis Power (@Lis Power) 1659016763
\u201c@LisPower1 @Payarm18 We all know where Kilmeade worships.\u201d— Lis Power (@Lis Power) 1659016763
\u201c@LisPower1 @Payarm18 cuck kilmeade\u201d— Lis Power (@Lis Power) 1659016763
\u201c@LisPower1 @Payarm18 It's such a problem for Fox News that they actually have a top-rated polling unit that routinely reports results the on-air hosts don't like.\u201d— Lis Power (@Lis Power) 1659016763
\u201c@LisPower1 @mmfa @Payarm18 Feels like we're only weeks away from full on donnybrooks on RW media.\u201d— Lis Power (@Lis Power) 1659016763
\u201c@LisPower1 @Payarm18 If this isn\u2019t \u201cstate run\u201d news I don\u2019t know what is.\u201d— Lis Power (@Lis Power) 1659016763
\u201c@LisPower1 @Payarm18 "Shut UP! Dad's gonna be SO mad at us!"\u201d— Lis Power (@Lis Power) 1659016763
\u201c@LisPower1 @Payarm18 they are truly afraid of himn\u201d— Lis Power (@Lis Power) 1659016763
\u201c@LisPower1 @Payarm18\u201d— Lis Power (@Lis Power) 1659016763
The 55% of Republicans or Republican-leaning voters who don't want Trump to be their 2024 nominee is an increase of six percentage points since the last time CNN conducted polling in February.