Fox host says it's parents' job to explain scary Trump rallies to kids

The hosts of Trump’s favorite morning news show tried to push back at criticism of Trump’s rallies — but in the process, they were forced to admit that the frightening hostility at the rallies isn’t good for children.

On Friday, New York Times photographer Damon Winter published a poignant article about the hostility children are being exposed to at Trump rallies.

The article clearly resonated the public — so on Sunday morning’s edition of “Fox and Friends,” the show’s hosts tried to defend Trump-supporting parents who decide to bring their children to these rallies.

“From the lens of an elite photographer, at the New York Times, you might say, ‘Oh, so much anger,'” co-host Pete Hegseth said mockingly, adding that he considers Trump rallies to be a “celebration of America.”

Even Hegseth was forced to acknowledge that Trump’s rallies can get ugly. But instead of blaming Trump for being hostile, he said parents should bear the burden of excusing Trump’s behavior to their kids.

“If you’re a good parent, you can talk to them about what they saw at the rally too, in the harsher moments,” Hegseth said.

Fellow co-host Abby Huntsman also tried to defend bringing children to the rallies — but admitted that Trump’s verbal attacks made her “concerned about kids being there” when Trump spews his hateful rhetoric against journalists and minority groups.

“I don’t think we should say that this is okay, that it’s okay for a president to say these things,” Huntsman said.

“Well, that’s where parents come into play again,” Hegseth said.

One of the many problems with this logic is that in many instances, Trump’s hostility is being mirrored and perpetrated by the parents themselves. At a rally last week, for instance, adults in Trump’s crowd were videotaped cursing and heckling reporters.

CNN reporter Jim Acosta also tweeted video of Trump supporters profanely heckling him while he took a picture with a man and his little daughter. Acosta also tweeted a photo of an infant at the rally whose parent had chosen to adorn the child with a “CNN sucks” button.

Our leaders are supposed to be people we can hold up as role models to our children, not people whose vile conduct requires constant parental guidance.

But it isn’t just Trump rallies that are the problem.

Every day, children are exposed to the harsh realities of Trump’s bigotry — from children of immigrants who are being increasingly bullied in schools, to the children who have been ripped away from their parents by Trump’s racist policies.

Trump’s rallies are no place for children — but in a very real sense, neither is Trump’s America.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.