Fox News’ Eric Bolling: “I Don’t Know If It Matters” That Trump Was Wrong On EgyptAir Crash
Before Rupert Murdoch, Megyn Kelly and the rest of Fox News decided to push all in with Donald Trump, Eric Bolling was the lead conductor of the Trump Train. The Cashin’ In and The Five host has been perhaps the loudest pro-Trump voice on the network, surpassing even noted Trumpism adherent Sean Hannity. On Friday evening, he took his love of all things Trump to an absolutely absurd new level.
Filling in for Trump’s milkshake buddy Bill O’Reilly, Bolling hosted a panel discussion on the differences between Trump and Hillary Clinton when it comes to foreign policy. The conversation eventually steered to the former reality TV star’s dangerously irresponsible tweet in the wake of EgyptAir Flight 804’s crash, which Trump immediately blamed on terrorism. While one guest tried to highlight how perilous actions like this can be on the international stage, Bolling brushed it off, claiming that it’s all cool because a lot of voters think he’s better than Hillary on dealing with terrorist threats.
From Media Matters’ transcript of the segment (emphasis mine):
ERIC BOLLING (GUEST HOST): So, Hillary Clinton has said she is like Barack Obama. She basically wants to run as a third term of Barack Obama on many issues. So, if she does that and then you have that juxtaposition of Barack Obama’s being weak on terror, he can’t even say Islamic terrorism, and Donald Trump coming out, right out of the box saying this is a terror attack, ISIS, we’re coming after you, it’s got to stop. I think that really does define the difference between the two candidates, Hillary and Donald.
DAVID TAFURI: Look, Hillary Clinton has four years of experience as Secretary of State. Donald Trump is woefully unprepared to be Commander in Chief. I say that not just because he hasn’t studied foreign policy issues, he doesn’t care about foreign policy issues, and he hasn’t put people around him who know foreign policy issues, though all of those things are true. I say that because the shockingly ignorant things he has said about foreign policy. Yesterday is a prime example. He said that this tragedy, the Egypt Air tragedy, was terrorism. But there are no facts yet to suggest it was terrorism. If you can’t properly identify terror —
[CROSSTALK]
BOLLING: I’m not sure that it matters whether it’s terrorism, or not David. I don’t know if it matters if it ends up being terror or not, what matters or what’s resonating among the Americans, we show the poll 52 percent to 40 percent they believe Donald Trump would be tougher on terror, was resonating is that he is perceived to be tough on terror, Islamic terrorism.
I just want you to reread that passage once more. What Bolling is saying is that it is perfectly fine for a potential president, someone who may one day be the leader of the free world, to jump the gun and disseminate possibly false and malicious information because people feel the same way. It doesn’t matter if he’s wrong and causing scorn on an international level as long as it resonates. Good to know!
Meanwhile, while officials and investigators suspect terrorism as the cause, it is mostly just a hunch at this time. The latest information shows that smoke was detected on the plane prior to it crashing in the Mediterranean Sea. A CNN aviation analyst says this doesn’t really indicate that a bomb went off.
“It could have been either something mechanical that had failed, a short circuit, or it could have been an incendiary device of some kind as well,” CNN aviation analyst David Soucie said.
He said it was significant that the data was sent over a period of one to two minutes.
“Now if it was a bomb, the characteristic bomb … (it) would have ruptured the skin of the aircraft,” Soucie said. “This is not the indication you would have had, because a bomb that would do that would be instantaneous, and these reports would not have gone over two minutes like they do.”
The ACARS data, however, could be consistent with a catastrophic failure — be it from an intentional act or mechanical breakdown, according to an aviation official and a former Federal Aviation Administration official.
But, who cares about waiting around for facts and evidence, right? You have to trust your gut when it comes to cynically capitalizing on a tragedy in the hopes of scoring political points, regardless of the consequences. And if you’re wrong, you never, ever, EVER say you’re sorry, because that would show weakness. Keep pushin’ on!
Below is video of the entire segment, courtesy of Fox News:
