Associated Press
- Amid a flurry of tweets on Sunday by President Trump — which included criticizing "Saturday Night Live," General Motors, and the late John McCain — the president also lashed out against Fox News weekend anchors, Leland Vittert and Arthel Neville.
- "Were @FoxNews weekend anchors, @ArthelNeville and @LelandVittert, trained by CNN prior to their ratings collapse?" Trump tweeted.
- Trump appeared to single out the hosts after a segment aired on Fox News’ "America’s New HQ" with Republican Senator Sean Duffy (WI) in which Vittert questioned the constitutionality of the president’s proposed border wall with Mexico.
- “Article one [of the constitiution] clearly says the power of the purse is with Congress," Vittert said. "If all of a sudden you’re using executive action and emergency powers to move that funding around, how is that not changing law?”
- President Trump calling out the Fox News weekend anchors came just hours after demanding that the network reinstate Judge Jeanine Pirro, whose show did not air on Saturday following her controversial comments over Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s hijab.
Amid a flurry of tweets on Sunday by President Trump — which included criticism of "Saturday Night Live," General Motors and the late John McCain, calling on Fox News to reinstate show host Judge Jeanie, and wishing his followers a happy St. Patrick’s Day — the president also lashed out against Fox News weekend anchors, Leland Vittert and Arthel Neville.
Trump appeared to single out the hosts after a segment aired on Fox News’ "America’s New HQ" with Republican Senator Sean Duffy (WI) in which Vittert questioned the constitutionality of the president’s proposed border wall with Mexico.
“Article one [of the constitiution] clearly says the power of the purse is with Congress," Vittert said. "If all of a sudden you’re using executive action and emergency powers to move that funding around, how is that not changing law?”
In February, President Trump declared a national emergency at the border to allocate funding for the wall. Recently, Congress tried to reverse the national emergency declaration, but on Friday, the president vetoed their efforts.
During the Fox News segment on Sunday, Vittert also called in question whether Congress should be handing over more of their power to the president.
“Is this precedent worth it, to get a border wall or get funding for part of a border wall, for Congress to continue to give away more and more authority?” Vittert asked.
Vittert and co-host Neville have been critical of the of President Trump’s reasoning for a southern border in the past, saying back in January, "it’s very difficult to try and fact check the president’s remarks [on the matter] in real time."
President Trump calling out the Fox News weekend anchors came just hours after demanding that the network reinstate Judge Jeanine Pirro, whose show did not air on Saturday following her controversial comments over Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s hijab.
Trump has a notably tight relationship with Fox News, hiring multiple staffers from the network, frequently speaking with its hosts, and reportedly getting debate tips from the network’s former CEO Roger Ailes, according to a recent article in The New Yorker.
See Also:
- Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crash black boxes reportedly showed ‘clear similarities,’ according to transport minister
- Trump seemingly threatens ‘SNL’ with federal investigation over critical sketch
- Share your opinion — become a BI Insider!
Source: Business Insider – nbastone@businessinsider.com (Nick Bastone)