‘Fox & Friends First’ accidentally booked an anti-Trump Democrat and it didn’t go well (video)
Things did not go as planned on “Fox & Friends First” Monday after the show accidentally booked an anti-Trump Massachusetts state senator, who used the opportunity to berate Trump directly over immigration.
On set, hosts Rob Schmitt and Jillian Mele were blindsided when their guest revealed that she was not pro-ICE democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, but instead local Massachusetts legislator Barbara L’Italien.
“Good morning. I’m actually here to speak directly to Donald Trump,” said L’Italien. “We have to stop abducting children and ripping them from their parents’ arms, stop putting kids in cages, and stop making three-year-olds defend themselves in court.”
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Both Mele and Schmitt appeared stunned and continued to address L’Italien as Kirkpatrick.
“Again, my name is Barbara L’Italien,” she corrected “And I refuse to believe that our only options are open borders or traumatizing children.”
After some half-hearted attempt at pushback from Mele and Schmitt, L’Italien was ultimately cut off and both anchors went to break.
Unfortunately for L’Italien, she may have mistimed her stunt. While the president is a regular watcher of “Fox & Friends,” which airs from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET, he has never shown much interest in “Fox & Friends First,” the pre-show that airs in the 5 a.m. hour.
In an on-air statement, Mele apologized to viewers for the mixup:
“This morning we invited Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick to appear on Fox & Friends First through her press contact on file Joe Katz, who accepted the invitation on Kirkpatrick’s behalf. Katz followed with an email confirming the segment, which also included background information and a campaign logo for Ann Kirkpatrick During the actual segment, Barbara L’Italien, appeared on camera instead of Kirkpatrick. Despite speaking to producers prior to the interview, L’Italien did not identify herself as anything other than Kirkpatrick until she was live on air, at which point we ended the interview.”
Mele and Schmitt also addressed the snafu on their respective Twitter accounts Monday.
I was stuck in an elevator before work then I get to work and this happens. One heck of a Morning so far. By the way, kind of a weak move to do this on live TV. https://t.co/53YLozNChP
— Jillian Mele (@jillianmele) July 23, 2018
Reps for Fox News did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
You can watch the moment below:
Read original story ‘Fox & Friends First’ Accidentally Booked an Anti-Trump Democrat and It Didn’t Go Well (Video) At TheWrap
