On Fox News’ The Five show, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doing 9 pushups and lifting weights, topless, proves he’s a great competitor against President Biden.
There’s little less important to the question of Kennedy’s fitness for the presidency (spoiler alert: he’s dangerously unfit) than his topless pushups. But to Fox News conservatives, the enemy of their enemy (President Joe Biden), couldn’t deserve more praise, even if he's a Democrat!
Of course, if Kennedy were to look like he might actually win and enact some Democratic policies, that would be a whole different story. But now, he looks like a Biden spoiler, and Fox couldn’t love him more.
It seems there’s no pretext too flimsy to start slobbering. In this case, the cohosts spent the better part of 11 minutes at it:
Smirking cohost Jesse Watters got the propaganda going. After referring to Biden as a “sandbag” and hyping concerns about his age, Watters said, “RFK Jr. getting ready for a Democrat debate while looking like the most jacked presidential candidate in history. Biden still won't agree to the matchup but how about a push up contest?”
For extra love, Fox also showed RFK Jr. lifting weights. The fitness footage was played repeatedly throughout the segment.
Watters tossed to cohost Dana Perino first. Perino obviously had to stretch to come up with the positive comments she surely knew were wanted by Fox brass. Her first sentence was said with sarcasm, the rest not.
WATTERS: When you see RFK Jr. like that, does that make you reconsider voting for him?
PERINO: Oh, gosh, you've really put me on the spot there. I'm impressed, right? At 69 years old, I think it is interesting he's trying to show the contrast.
While Hollywood is telling the White House, just embrace Biden's age. It's not as -- the thing is, as we've said before, everyone ages differently at a different rate. That's not your fault. A lot of it has nothing to do with you. Now, you could maybe take care of yourself, you could do that exercise.
But sometimes it's just genetics. Sometimes things happen to you as you age. And we all have eyes and ears, we can see what's happening with Joe Biden, that's why those numbers are what they are.
Those numbers are based on likely voters or registered voters, Republicans, independents and Democrats, not just Republican voters who think Joe Biden shouldn't move forward. It's actually Democrats who are concerned about his age.
So, I understand that desire. I do think that RFK Jr. should probably run as an independent.
Next up, cohost Greg Gutfeld, no doubt a bit jealous that Watters is replacing Tucker Carlson in the 8 PM ET hour. But Gutfeld was totally down for the propaganda, even as he kinda, sorta admitted RFK Jr. is a total wacko:
WATTERS: Greg Gutfeld, you've embraced your age.
GUTFELD: Yes, I have. I have. What point are you trying to make Mr. 8:00? I'm so important now because I have a new job? Screw you.
Look, that guy RFK Jr. he's in amazing shape, unbelievable shape for 70.
…
By the way, this is very clever of him. He's not calling out Joe for being old and feeble. He's allowing the viewer to make that comparison himself by just showing what great shape he is. He is, that's a natural -- I mean, I don't -- I'm not making an accusation. I'm not saying that he might be doing testosterone with a double of Ozempic. But who knows?
But it's interesting to me and I know that, you know, a lot of people think that he's fringy and he will have certain beliefs about vaccines that are troubling.
But it's so interesting to me when you -- when people that are considered outside the world of health look like that. And that people who are criticizing him like Hotez, who looks like he spent his entire life in the cake aisle at ShopRite. It's pretty funny that the so-called M.D.s and experts always look sick. But it's the people with the unorthodox ideas that look like that.
Cohost Jeanine Pirro took a few swings at Biden’s age, claiming he “couldn’t walk across the stage,” before talking about how “impressed” she is with Kennedy:
PIRRO: Now, as for RFK, I'm impressed with the guy. I am very impressed with him. Now, I know that he was always a Riverkeepers, environmental guy. I know that he truly believes in what he says and does. And that's why I think America is gonna like him. He's not a politician. He's not a candidate. He says what he believes and what he thinks.
And I love these little videos. I mean, he goes to the border, he goes, you know, to the crime areas. You know, he's a real guy. He's talking about real issues that Americans want to talk about.
Cohost Jessica Tarlov, the lone liberal, blasted Kennedy. First, she said she doesn’t know what Kennedy was likely taking, and wouldn’t surmise, but that Kennedy’s body is “not normal for a 70-year-old.” She added, “And also, there weren't many weights on that bar.”
“I don't want a guy who could be an assistant trainer at Planet Fitness to be the president,” Tarlov added.
Then she got to some substance. Noting that polls show Trump likely to win the Republican nomination but lose the general election, she began to talk up Biden. Not surprisingly, she was cut off:
TARLOV: So, Biden is sitting there thinking OK, it's going to be the guy thrice indicted, maybe what is it? How would you say, -- four times indicted, whatever.
GUTFELD: Quad-dicted.
TARLOV: Quad-dicted. And he's sitting there saying, “I'm up over 20 points with women. I'm 35 points with 18-34 year olds.” Latinos, that number is back up. And he had been struggling with them, 66 --
WATTERS:OK. Can we just talk about him with his shirt off? I mean, you're boring everybody in the audience with polls.
Watters also “jokingly” attacked Tarlov for her criticisms of Kennedy.
WATTERS: I mean, how dare you accuse him of being on testosterone?
TARLOV: He thinks water turns people transgender. He cannot be president.
WATTERS: Is that true?
PIRRO: What?
TARLOV: He said it on --
PIRRO: What did you say?
WATTERS: Coming up next, where's the liberal outrage?
You can watch Fox News conservatives talk up a guy they surely know is a dangerous crackpot, probably similar to what they thought about Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani after the 2020 election, yet promoted them anyway. This bit of Kennedy propaganda is below, from the June 26, 2023 The Five.
As for RFK Jr, listening to even one minute of an interview with him reveals a dangerously unhinged mind. President Biden actually sounds and acts younger than Jr. Angry Right Wingers are only pushing Jr as a way of insulting President Biden.