Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) attacked Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream on Sunday after Bream brought up a December 2022 New York Times article that chronicled Stefanik’s transformation from a moderate Republican to a Donald Trump acolyte—one that cited Stefanik’s own public comments attacking Trump.
Bream noted the article’s use of Stefanik’s former friends and its reference to a radio interview Stefanik gave in 2015, where she described Trump as “insulting to women,” to ask her what changed to make Trump more palatable to her. The question enraged the House Republican, a potential pick for Trump’s vice-presidential slot, who called it a “disgrace” that Bream would cite the Times and anonymous sources.
“It’s a disgrace that you would quote The New York Times with nameless, faceless, false sources,” Stefanik said, shouting over Bream’s rebuttals. “They’re not quoting my friends. Those names are not included because they are false smears.”
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But, as Bream pointed out, Stefanik’s radio interview was public. “They call you on a radio station, calling him ‘insulting to women.’ Is that a misquote? Did you not say that?” Bream asked.
Stefanik then used a solution often sourced by many Republicans to respond to their flip-flopping on Trump: spin. She claimed she said the statement “leaked out by Democrats in 2016” and actually supported Trump in 2016, touting his record on uplifting women.
“I was the only Republican elected woman from the Northeast who voted for him in 2016, who has strongly supported him, and I’m proud to be one of his strongest allies today,” she proclaimed.
“Folks can go read that article for themselves,” Bream replied before she ended the interview. “There are plenty of names, people who went on the record and we’ll leave it there. Clearly, you’re supportive of him now.”
