On the Friday’s New Day, CNN’s Alisyn Camerota symbolized the network’s far-left turn and abandoning their silly “Facts First” campaign by triumphantly welcoming on anti-gun Parkland student David Hogg to laud his campaign to destroy Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham.
Ingraham aside, Camerota also lashed out at “dumbass colleges” who have rejected Hogg, stating that she’s “stunned” and wondered “how do you explain this.”
The interview began with Ingraham’s ill-advised and mean-spirited tweet about Hogg being rejected by a few colleges, but it was clear that CNN would be in Hogg’s camp as the segment was accompanied by this chyron: “New Developments; Fox News Host Apologizes to Parkland Teen (After Advertisers Cut Ties).”
“So, listen, at our latest count, there's been seven advertisers that have pulled out of Laura Ingraham's show after one tweet from you. I mean, it seems like you have a lot of power at the moment and I'm just wondering how you feel about all of this,” Camerota lamented in the first of many softballs.
Hogg replied with the now-trademark blend of far-left activism but decrying constructive pushback in the public square because of his age, praising “corporate America” for “standing with me and the rest of my friends” since America must “take action against these people and show them that they cannot push us around.” This is the same person who tweeted yesterday that everyone must “love thy neighbor.”
He rambled repeatedly about Ingraham needing to be more “objective” when it comes to the Parkland students and gun control, but it’s clear that Hogg’s real goal is remove any opposing viewpoint or fact-check his false and vile rhetoric.
Camerota briefly stood up for Ingraham, emphasizing that “she’s a talk show host” so “she’s not objective” and “has a particular position.” The CNN host gave Hogg another chance to accept Ingraham’s apology, but he rejected it:
No. She's only apologizing after a third of her advertisers pulled out...I think it's wrong and I think if she really wants to do something, she could cover things like inner-city violence and the real issues that we have in America. I know she's a talk show host, but as such she also has a responsibility to show both sides of a story, you know?
The former FNC host then changed her tune and spoke to Hogg for the reminder of the interview as if she were a close family member:
Look, I mean, you and I both know how much vilification there has been during this entire tragedy. I mean, frankly, on both sides. You and your friends have been in the middle of this media maelstrom. I mean you guys have been targeted by right wing, you know, websites and cable news hosts and I don't know how you are coping through all of this.
Camerota could have corrected Hogg when he falsely stated that “we’re not trying to take your guns” or “repeal the Second Amendment,” but “Facts First” don’t apply to Hogg and his friends.
After a throwaway question about wanting to sit down with Ingraham (to which Hogg declared Ingraham needed to be “more objective”), Camerota melted down with anger for people rejecting Hogg and worship for Hogg’s activism:
David, I am stunned that four colleges rejected you. What kind of dumbass colleges don't want you? [JOHN BERMAN LAUGHS] I mean you've taken the country by storm. How do you explain this? Did they reject you before the Parkland massacre? Or how do you explain this?
Her penultimate question inquired about his future while her final one simply asked: “And, David, just last, I mean, emotionally, how are you doing?”
Solid journalistic work there, CNN.
To see the transcript of Hogg’s full interview from CNN’s New Day on March 30, click “expand.”
CNN’s New Day
March 30, 2018
6:49 a.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: New Developments; Fox News Host Apologizes to Parkland Teen (After Advertisers Cut Ties)]
ALISYN CAMEROTA: Fox News host Laura Ingraham is apologizing for a tweet she sent going after Parkland massacre survivor and high school student David Hogg. Ingraham's original tweet said: “David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it. (Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA....totally predictable given acceptance rates.)” Hogg then called on advertisers to boycott Ingraham and several companies have cut their ties, pulling their ads from Ingraham's show. David Hogg joins us now live. David, great to see you, as always.
DAVID HOGG: Nice to see you too.
CAMEROTA: So, listen, at our latest count, there's been seven advertisers that have pulled out of Laura Ingraham's show after one tweet from you. I mean, it seems like you have a lot of power at the moment and I'm just wondering how you feel about all of this?
HOGG: I think it's great that corporate America is standing with me and the rest of my friends because when you come against any one of us, whether it be me or anyone else, you're coming against all of us and I think it's important that we stand together as both corporate and civic America to take action against these people and show them that they cannot push us around, especially when we're — all we're trying to do here is save lives and when people try to distract like Laura’s trying to do right now from what the real issue here is, which is gun violence in America, it's not only sad, it's just wrong and from a journalistic standpoint, I would say that she needs to be more objective and needs to stand down because I am not the issue here. The issue needs to be gun violence in America, but what she's trying to do is to distract from that, and I hate it.
CAMEROTA: Listen, you know, she's —you know she's a talk show host. She's not objective. I mean, her point isn't even to be objective. She has a particular position. She's a conservative, but, listen, after she — after the advertisers started pulling out, she did issue an apology to you. I'll read it to everyone: “Any student should be proud of a 4.2 GPA, including [David Hogg]. On reflection, in the spirit of Holy Week, I apologize for any upset or hurt my tweet caused him or any of the brave victims of Parkland. For the record, I believe my show was the first to feature David immediately after that horrific shooting and even noted how ‘poised’ he was given a tragedy. As always, he's welcome to return to the show any time for a productive discussion.” Do you accept her apology?
HOGG: No. She's only apologizing after a third of her advertisers pulled out and I think it's really disgusting in the fact that she basically tried promoting her show after apologizing to me. I think it's wrong and I think if she really wants to do something, she could cover things like inner-city violence and the real issues that we have in America. I know she's a talk show host, but as such she also has a responsibility to show both sides of a story, you know?
CAMEROTA: Look, I mean, you and I both know how much vilification there has been during this entire tragedy. I mean, frankly, on both sides. You and your friends have been in the middle of this media maelstrom. I mean you guys have been targeted by right wing, you know, websites and cable news hosts and I don't know how you are coping through all of this.
HOGG: I mean, honestly, it's — most of the time for us, when people — when I see things on Twitter, people comparing me to Hitler or calling us a communist, it's been like about five and a half weeks now since this massacre and it's insane because it's literally only been five and a half weeks and the fact that they're going after us personally shows that what we're doing is working. We have them scared and now we have to go even harder because this is when it really starts to matter is when these people try going against us because — I want people to understand, we're not trying to take your guns. We're not against the Second Amendment. We don't want to repeal the Second Amendment. We simply want gun legislation in this country that allows law-abiding citizens to still own guns but prevents people with a history of mental illness or a history of a criminal background from owning a firearm. It's as simple as that. We are for reasonable and sensible gun ownership so long as it's responsible in the way that criminals can't get it.
CAMEROTA: Well, look, to that end, would you consider sitting down with someone like Laura Ingraham and reaching across the aisle just for the sake of common ground and trying to find the solutions that you're talking about?
HOGG: See, I would like to do that, but first I would need her to be more objective in the way that she talks about us because if you look at any time that she talks about us on her talk show, she speaks only to her audience, which is kind of what a talk show host does, but what she does most of the time is, she's like, oh, these leftist — this leftist group is trying to take all your — she gets this really threatening tone about us that we don't have. We love every — like, we're people that just want to come — want everybody to come together as Americans and help us solve this issue because we do have to reach across the aisle to solve this. This is not a Democrat or a Republican issue. This is an American issue and as such we have to work together.
CAMEROTA: David, I am stunned that four colleges rejected you. What kind of dumbass colleges don't want you? [JOHN BERMAN LAUGHS] I mean you've taken the country by storm. How do you explain this? Did they reject you before the Parkland massacre? Or how do you explain this?
HOGG: They rejected me about — let me think, about two weeks ago, most of them. It was UCLA and UCSD. I — the way I explain it is, we have a heavily impacted university system in America and I think there's a lot of really good candidates that don't get into college and I think it goes to show that regardless of whether or not you get into college, you can still change the world. The hardest part is just believing that you can and continuing that effort to change the world, because you eventually will.
CAMEROTA: David, I know that you haven't been spending much time back at Parkland high school. You've obviously been — this has become your mission. We've seen you on the media a lot. Are you going to go to college in September?
HOGG: That's a good question. I'm thinking about it, but I may be taking a gap here at this point to work on the campaign trail on a candidate basis, not as — not just working for Democrats, not just working for Republicans, because there's Democrats that are supported by the NRA. There are Republicans that are not supported by the NRA. This is — lives really are not a partisan issue. I think that's what a lot of this country is forgetting is, we are simply just trying to save lives and once we remember that, we can all work together on both sides of the aisle to help solve this issue, but when we work against each other, we can't.
CAMEROTA: And, David, just last, I mean, emotionally, how are you doing?
HOGG: I'm exhausted. My flight got diverted last night and I had to stay in D.C. another night, but it's alright. I just — at this point, I kind of just want to be back home with my friends for a little bit and — because we have our own little family, basically, and we all support each other as such.
CAMEROTA: Well, David Hogg, it's always great to talk to you. Best of luck. We'll be checking back in with you soon. Thanks so much.
HOGG: Thank you.
