A Fox News host has sparked controversy by suggesting that the United Nations should be bombed following a malfunction involving an elevator during President Donald Trump’s visit. On his primetime show, Jesse Watters proposed that the incident could be an act of sabotage, commenting that “Daddy’s not happy,” in reference to Trump.
Watters referred to a report from the *Times*, which quoted UN staff joking about disabling elevators and escalators to make Trump walk up the stairs upon his arrival. “This is an insurrection,” Watters stated, before directly addressing the camera with a stark message: “What we need to do is either leave the UN, or we need to bomb it.” He noted the potential implications of such an action, stating, “It is in New York, though. There might be some fallout.”
The comments were made shortly after Trump appeared to joke about the elevator malfunction during his speech at the UN, saying, “These are the two things I got from the United Nations – a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.” He further added humorously that if First Lady Melania Trump “weren’t in great shape, she would have fallen.”
Despite Trump’s light-hearted remarks, the White House has called for an investigation into the elevator incident, particularly because Watters claimed it could have endangered Melania Trump, whom he referred to as “the most beautiful First Lady in American history.” A source later informed *The Daily Beast* that the elevator malfunction was due to someone accidentally activating the emergency stop.
This incident is the latest in a series of controversial statements from Fox News hosts. Recently, Brian Kilmeade faced backlash for his remarks regarding mentally ill homeless individuals during a discussion about the tragic death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kilmeade suggested that such individuals should be given an “involuntary lethal injection” and described his comments as an “extremely callous remark.”
During the discussion, his co-host Lawrence Jones stated that many mentally ill homeless people refuse help and proposed stringent measures to compel them to accept assistance. In response, Virginia Representative Don Beyer condemned the rhetoric on social media, emphasizing that America’s homeless population includes vulnerable groups such as children and veterans. He stated, “Nobody deserves to be murdered by the government for mental illness or poverty. These Fox hosts are calling for mass murder – it is sick.”
The fallout from Watters’ comments continues to gain traction, highlighting the ongoing discourse surrounding mental health issues and the treatment of vulnerable populations in society.
