OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Fox News host Jesse Watters took many by surprise this week when he spoke about his wife amid storms hitting the United States.
During a segment on the popular program “The Five,” Watters and the panel spoke about Hurricanes Helene and Milton and the devastation left behind. Watters joked about how he “gets everything organized” during storms while his wife “doesn’t have a clue” about how bad they can get in Florida.
Below is a transcript of the conversation, via Grabien:
GUTFELD: “Yeah. She should have been made the hurricane czar, Jesse.”
WATTERS: “That is such a great point. They could’ve done and they probably would’ve gotten away with it. I wouldn’t have let her get away with it, but most normal people would’ve, would’ve attacked her for anything. When storms hit, I love it.”
WATTERS: “I relish it, because then I get everything organized at the house. You make sure the generator is on, you make sure the plow guy is gonna come the next day, you have food, you have gas in the car. That’s what we do. And then Emma will, like, leave the car out. I’m like, ‘Babe, it’s going to snow like 12 inches. Get the car in the garage. What are you thinking?’ She doesn’t get it.”
PERINO: “You definitely don’t talk to her like that.”
WATTERS: “It’s true. It’s true. So when storms hit, like, DeSantis, he thrives under the circumstances, right, and to a certain extent Biden and Trump do too. He has his map, he’s like ready to call the police, he’s ready to call National Guard, he’s waiting for the data to come in, he’s warning people. There’s something that people do when we protect our people, and he’s very skilled at that. Kamala Harris has not shown any inclination to be able to do that. The first hurricane she was at a party. The second hurricane she was drinking with Stephen. This is actually the first time she’s ever even tweeted about a hurricane in four years. This does not come naturally to her. I’m not saying it’s a guy thing, but she has shown no ability to take action in this circumstance. Now, you are also right about Kamala and being the VP. She’s not in the chain of command. So you have a sitting president who is not running for reelection because he was so terrible, so the VP has to run for the presidency, but he’s still in command of the hurricane. And then a former president is out there and he’s facing off against the sitting president and they’re, like, squaring off, and she’s like, ‘Hey, can I play? Can I get in this?’ She’s just getting in the way, and that’s the problem. She’s getting in the way.”
GUTFELD: “Should she stay in the kitchen, Jesse? Is that what you’re saying.”
WATTERS: “No, Greg! She should stay — “
TARLOV: “So you’re not saying it’s a masculinity thing at all?”
WATTERS: “I’m not. No, I’m not. I used to be terrible with storms. I just — I grew up.”
GUTFELD: “Yeah. You evolved.”
WATCH:
A frustrated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lashed out at Vice President Kamala Harris this week after she criticized his handling of hurricanes Helene and Milton while also claiming he refused to take her phone call.
On Thursday, DeSantis spoke to CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin about the situation, during which he ripped Harris for what he perceived as a blatant attempt to politicize the storms and boost her campaign.
“I didn’t even know she was trying to reach me, but she has no role in this process, and I’ve been dealing with these storms in Florida under both Trump and Biden. Neither of them ever politicized it,” he said. “And, in fact, all the storms I’ve dealt with under this administration – although I’ve worked well with [President Biden] – she has never called in Florida. She has never offered any support.”
“So, what she’s doing is she’s trying to inject herself into this because of her political campaign,” he continued, noting he’s busy trying to save lives. “I don’t have time for those games.”
WATCH:
🚨JUST IN: Ron DeSantis shut down CNBC host that accused him of politicizing Hurricane Milton!
THIS is how you handle the Fake News!
DeSantis: “I didn’t even know she was trying to reach me, but she has no role in this process… and I’ve been dealing with these storms in… pic.twitter.com/uHoaJYnmIN
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) October 10, 2024
“I’m in contact with the president of the United States. I’m in contact with the FEMA director, I’m obviously managing all of our state agencies, we’re supporting all our local government,” DeSantis earlier told a news conference.
“She’s the first one who’s trying to politicize the storm, and she’s doing that just because of her campaign. I don’t have time for political games. I’ve got people whose lives are on the line, I’ve got people whose homes and possessions are on the line, and we are focused 100% on that mission,” he added.
Biden threw his vice president under a bus — figuratively speaking — during a press conference on Thursday as Hurricane Milton bore down on Florida, the second major storm in as many weeks after Harris was critical of DeSantis. Biden praised the Republican leader and said he was doing a “great job” preparing for Milton.
“The governor of Florida has been cooperative. He said he’s gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday and I said, ‘No, you’re doing a great job. It’s being, all being done well. We thank you for it,’” said Biden.
“Every governor, every governor from Florida to North Carolina has been fully cooperative and supportive and acknowledged what this team is doing. And they’re doing an incredible job. We’ve got a lot more to do,” Biden noted further.
