Staff Reports
The atmosphere on “Fox and Friends” turned tense when co-host Brian Kilmeade engaged in a fiery exchange with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during a live television interview. Ramaswamy, who had debated in the fourth GOP primary debate the night before, was joined by Fox News reporter Lawrence Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where the interview took place.
Brian Kilmeade Gets in Heated Shouting Match with Vivek Ramaswamy Live on Fox News https://t.co/YjnwIvz7JP
— GNHTX (@gnhtx) December 8, 2023
Jones took the opportunity to question and criticize Ramaswamy’s attacks on Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. Ramaswamy, displaying composure, responded calmly to these critiques. However, when Kilmeade took his turn to ask questions, the interview quickly escalated and remained heated for almost five minutes.
Kilmeade particularly took issue with Ramaswamy’s proposed policies on the Russia-Ukraine war. He vehemently criticized Ramaswamy’s stance, labeling it as “ridiculous” and questioning his comfort with Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Kilmeade also challenged Ramaswamy’s belief that Vladimir Putin would not form an alliance with China.
Ramaswamy defended his position by emphasizing the importance of taking a tough stance on Russia and employing a “maximum pressure campaign” rather than relying solely on sanctions. He argued that the war in Ukraine does not align with U.S. interests and identified the Russia-China alliance as a significant threat.
Undeterred, Kilmeade persisted by asking if Ramaswamy was comfortable with Eastern Europe being abandoned to Russian aggression. Ramaswamy’s response, which garnered applause from the audience, expressed concern over the allocation of U.S. money to Ukraine and criticized the corrupt practices in the country.
Despite an attempt by Ainsley Earhardt to interject, Kilmeade and Ramaswamy continued to debate the situation in Ukraine, drawing parallels to World War II. They also touched on the crisis at the southern border, with Ramaswamy expressing frustration at the allocation of taxpayer money to protect other nations’ borders instead of focusing on the effectiveness of border security within the U.S.
Eventually, Jones intervened and ended the exchange, thanking Ramaswamy for joining the program. It was evident that Kilmeade had a bone to pick with Ramaswamy even before the interview began, as he had previously criticized Ramaswamy’s attacks on Nikki Haley and their disagreement over views on Ukraine in August. The tension between Kilmeade and Ramaswamy seems to remain unresolved, setting the stage for potential clashes in the future.
