Fox & Friends’ Pete Hegseth Attacks Parkland Survivors, Donates to the NRA

Never underestimate the depths to which Fox News anchors will sink to defend President Donald Trump, other NRA–backed politicians, and the status quo.

Fox & Friends Sunday co–hosts Abby Huntsman, Ed Henry, and Pete Hegseth couldn’t contain their rage at the audacity of teenagers who had spoken out during the March for Our Lives to demand action on gun violence.

Hegseth, who was seething and appeared to be on the verge of leaping off the set to kick some teenage ass, took it further by claiming on air that he had donated to the National Rifle Association before coming to work, in retaliation against the marchers.

He also mocked teenage victims of gun violence—including mass shootings—and went after the 9–year–old granddaughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr.

Hey, Pete: Why do you feel the need to attack children?

“We can’t talk about guns in a rational way in this country right now,” complained Huntsman, with no apparent sense of irony. “It doesn’t seem like we have any middle ground still.”

“Forgive me if I don’t want a lesson on the Second Amendment from a 16–year–old,” Hegseth chimed in, extending his arm in a condescending pose resembling a Hitler salute. “Forgive me if I don’t want to watch a 9–year–old tell me that her dream is a world without guns.”

No, not forgiven.

“They shouldn’t be giving me lessons on the Second Amendment. They should be in civics class,” Hegseth said. “They have a right to do whatever they wanna do. But I watch that, and you know what my reaction was, honestly? I donated to the NRA this morning. I’m serious.”

Sunday’s show was in a similar vein as the network’s coverage of the March for Our Lives rallies the previous day. As Media Matters pointed out, on Saturday, Fox News anchor Leland Vittert attacked Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor David Hogg by saying, “We hear he spends, he says at least, he spends a lot more time now on TV than he does taking math tests.”

Vittert then wondered aloud why Parkland shooting survivors were so focused only on the “gun issue.” “Why aren’t kids talking about this?” Vitter asked, referring to law enforcement’s numerous shortcomings ahead of the Feb. 14 mass shooting. “Why is it so easy to pivot towards just the gun issue?”

Deep, probing question there, Vittert. Perhaps the next march should focus on taking Fox News off the air.