Ainsley Earhardt just happened to echo another female Fox colleague when she said about Trump’s refusal to fire or suspend campaign manager Corey Lewandowski after he was charged with battery of reporter Michelle Fields, “You have to praise him for the loyalty.”
Yesterday, Fox host Andrea Tantaros said on Outnumbered that Trump, "has had the back of his campaign manager, rightfully, for a long time." What a coincidence that this same sentiment should be repeated by The Trump Cheering Squad also known as Fox & Friends.
Earhardt was not the only Fox & Friends cohost to spin Trump’s refusal to fire or suspend Lewandowski as a sign of good character. At the same time, the gang implicitly dismissed the possibility that Trump's "loyalty" was also a sign of fostering thuggery and misogyny.
Cohost Brian Kilmeade got it started when he said it’s “good” that Trump defended Lewandowski. Kilmeade sounded quite a bit more critical as he continued. But his criticism was only from a political strategy stance:
KILMEADE: I mean, that's good that Donald Trump comes out and defends his guy. But on some level, he's got to be ticked off. He sits down for 90 minutes with The New York Times, about an hour with the Washington Post, to talk about foreign policy on the heels of President Obama doing the same thing with The Atlantic magazine. He's saying, bring on the issues, be critical, be supportive. Instead, he's got to talk about what happened two weeks ago. And as David Plouffe of all people, he's been making a lot of sense this election cycle, he tweets out, "A presidential campaign manager's job is to manage the circus, not become one."
One thing he says publicly, defend him. But behind the scenes, he's got to be saying, "Corey, I got Secret Service, I got my own special security, keep your hands off people. I don't need you there." A week later, he's doing something similar. Justified or not as a campaign manager, "Keep your hands off people. I need to become president of the United States. This does not help me."
EARHARDT: But then again, you have to praise him for the loyalty. I'm sure Donald Trump, it sounds like he's standing by him because he appreciates Corey's loyalty.
KILMEADE: Loyalty to what?
EARHARDT: To him. To make sure that reporters aren’t getting too close to him.
At that point, cohost Steve Doocy added his bit of "Lewandowski loyalty" cheerleading. "To his safety," Doocy chimed in.
Kilmeade replied, "But you can’t be grabbing reporters because you know it’s gonna end up becoming the story."
How about you can't be grabbing reporters because it's anti-American and thuggish? Not to mention the fact that Lewandowski and Trump completely changed their original story from smearing Fields as "delusional" to "she deserved it."
But Earhardt chirped, "I agree! …I agree but I’m just telling you that I think that’s probably what Donald Trump is thinking. …A lot of people say it’s going to help him!"
Watch it below, from the March 30 Trump & Friends Fox & Friends, below, via Media Matters.