A day after Fox News’ artificial Christmas tree was set on fire, allegedly by a mentally ill homeless man, one of the network’s contributors on Thursday likened the torched holiday decoration to the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Following the arson attack on Fox News’ “All-American Christmas Tree” in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the network’s hosts have seemingly tried to outdo each other in describing the property damage in ever more dire terms.
While police have said the tree torching doesn’t appear to be politically motivated, that hasn’t stopped Fox personalities from labeling the fire a “hate crime,”—as well as an attack on Fox News, “America’s tree,” and Christianity.
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But during the lighting ceremony for the rebuilt tree, which was carried live on Fox News’ highly rated late-afternoon show The Five, Fox News contributor Rev. Jacques DeGraff managed to outshine all of his network colleagues.
After the various hosts of the roundtable show made their remarks to the crowd, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld turned to DeGraff to say a few words to christen the new tree.
“Somebody asked me why are you here,” DeGraff bellowed. “I’m here because these colors do not run! Eighty years ago this week, they tried to extinguish the darkness in a place called Pearl Harbor. We didn’t fold then, and we will not fold now because we have come this far by faith!”
The attack on Pearl Harbor—which occurred on Dec. 7, 1941, and pushed America into World War II—killed 2,403 U.S. military personnel and an additional 68 civilians. There were no injuries, let alone deaths, involved in the tree at Fox News Square being set on fire.
Also, yes, DeGraff did say “extinguish the darkness.”
“In our tradition, we say, ‘This little light of mine,’” he added. “‘I’m going to let it shine!’ The red, the white, and the blue, and the light of America, we are going to let it shine.”
Continuing his prayer, DeGraff loudly declared that those gathered “have a faith that the fire cannot incinerate” and “bullies cannot frighten away.”
Drawing a loud roar of applause from the crowd, DeGraff ended his remarks by calling on God to “bless the greatest country on the planet,” prompting a stunned Cardinal Timothy Dolan—who also delivered a speech—to exclaim: “Way to go!”
