In a rare moment of friction between Fox News personalities, “Fox and Friends” co-hosts Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade clashed on Thursday morning over states’ efforts to maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Earhardt defended Newport Beach City Council’s decision to deploy police officers to disperse the type of enormous crowds seen at the California beach this past weekend, while Kilmeade railed against the move and accused governors of “overreaching” with their stay-at-home orders.
“The problem is, though, Brian, they started to seeing more people go to the hospitals after that weekend, after those images were released in California, with corona,” Earhardt told her co-host.
She also defended the governors who “have to make tough decisions” to keep the virus from spreading by requiring non-essential workers to stay home.
“And then you have people like my mom, [who] is very sick,” Earhardt added. “And as much as I want to go out, I still want everyone to play by the rules because when I finally do get to go home to visit her, I don’t want—”
“But is your mom going to the beach?” Kilmeade interrupted. “But is your mom going to the beach?”
“No, but Brian, eventually she’s going to be around family again,” his colleague replied.
“I understand both sides. I really do,” she continued. “I just don’t want a resurgence of this. I just don’t want us to go through all of this. It’s been hard for everyone at different levels.”
Earhardt’s support of social distancing measures sets her apart from many of her fellow hosts and pundits at Fox News, who have been faithfully rallying around President Donald Trump’s calls for an end to stay-at-home orders.
Watch the exchange below:
"Fox and Friends" co-host Ainsley Earhardt pushes back on fellow co-host Brian Kilmeade as he argues stay at home orders ought to be lifted. pic.twitter.com/rtqSMqqoXd
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) April 30, 2020
