Fox News hosts Geraldo Rivera and Dana Perino panned President Joe Biden’s Wednesday speech on combatting gun violence, calling it “pathetic” and saying that it did not “meet the moment.”
Rivera and Perino were among the first to critique the president after his remarks preempted the first part of Fox News’ “The Five,” and they made it clear that they were not impressed by Biden’s efforts. (RELATED: ‘I Do Seriously Wonder Why’: Dana Perino Says Biden’s White House Elevated Putin Meeting By Calling It A ‘Summit’)
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Rivera reacted first, saying that while he certainly agreed that gun violence in America was an emergent situation, Biden had not seemed up to the task in Wednesday’s address.
“You’ve got to make this the emergency that it is. That was very, very sleepy and you know I like the guy, but that was pathetic and was not in any way — it seems to me totally reactive to the bad press, so you scramble to get something done,” Rivera said, adding that Biden should have been more forceful in the way that he addressed the issue.
“Do you think that going after illegal gun traffickers here and there is going to do anything to stop the bloody summer that everybody expects?” co-host Jesse Watters turned the question to Perino.
“I think it could help a little bit, but to Geraldo’s point, what President Biden did did not meet the moment,” Perino said, arguing that community leaders may have listened to Biden’s speech and come away not believing that his administration was actually prepared to do anything that might help.
“Let’s remember why is President Biden doing this speech today, anyway? Because like on the border with Kamala Harris now going on Friday, that’s why where they are the most weak when it comes to their politics. So they know they are taking on water on that issue, too they said we’d better slap something together real quick and get the attorney general over here, write a too-long speech for the president and have him read it as if he’s reading back somebody’s fast food order in a drive through and that’s where it doesn’t meet the moment,” Perino explained.