A discussion of rising COVID-19 cases in Florida on Sean Hannity’s show devolved into a squabble Thursday night as Fox News host Geraldo Rivera sparred with Fox Nation host Dan Bongino.
“On Tuesday in Florida, there were 16,000 new infections. On Wednesday, there were 17,000,” Rivera began. Interrupting Rivera, Hannity responded, “Ron DeSantis saved every older person… This is not bash Ron DeSantis… A lot of these cases are coming here because of Joe [Biden].”
Rivera, seemingly dumbfounded, said, “This has nothing to do with Joe,” to which Hannity quipped immediately, “Oh yes it does,” and called on Bongino to speak.
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It was all downhill from there, as Bongino declared that “Geraldo doesn’t know Ron DeSantis. He doesn’t know the numbers. I live here. Florida’s 26th in COVID deaths.”
Rivera lobbed indistinguishable interruptions at Bongino, who tore into him, yelling, “Geraldo, it’s not my fault you never know what you’re talking about. It’s not my fault you never research anything before you come on the air.”
Rivera, not to be outdone, shot back: “You are so full of crap! You are so full of it! That’s why I hate coming on with you, because you are such a cheap shot, a backstabbing cheap shot.” In a final parting shot before the end of the segment, he said: “I’m embarrassed to be on this air with you. That’s why I’m embarrassed.”
Rivera has gotten into multiple tiffs with his Fox colleagues over rising coronavirus case counts and vaccinations. Just last week, he slammed unvaccinated people as “arrogant, selfish SOBs,” provoking a strong response from Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld, who had attempted to paint people who refused vaccinations as freedom fighters and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as authoritarian. Like Hannity, Watters and Gutfeld had blamed immigrants for rising cases, which Rivera said “appalled” him.
