WATCH: Ted Koppel tells Sean Hannity, to his face, that he’s bad for America. pic.twitter.com/aWtMeGbp8E
— Yashar (@yashar) March 26, 2017
Sean Hannity’s vigorous defenses of all things related to Donald Trump often border on the absurd. Yet the Fox News host has attempted to insulate himself from related criticism by insisting, “I’m not a journalist, I’m a talk show host.” Still, Fox News gives Hannity a largely open platform to advocate for his pal, which leads some, like veteran journalist Ted Koppel, to conclude that this is harmful to America in the above clip (with a much longer one at the bottom of this post).
This conversation happened during Koppel’s interview of Hannity on CBS Sunday Morning, and Hannity turned the tables to ask a leading question, but he didn’t enjoy the answer he received. Koppel noted that the current political atmosphere and resulting media coverage are “driving the country further and further apart.” He also wanted to know why Hannity promoted such a “highly partisan agenda” that contributes to the divide, especially since the GOP already controls the White House and Congress. Hannity hit back with comments about “angry snowflakes” and the “Democratic establishment,” and then this happened:
Hannity: “You’re cynical. You think we’re bad for America? You think I’m bad for America?”
Koppel: “Yeah. In the long haul….”
Hannity: [Interrupting] “Really? That’s sad, Ted. That’s sad.”
Koppel: “You know why? Because you’re very good at what you do. And you have attracted people who are determined that ideology is more important than facts.”
You can watch the full Koppel segment below — Hannity’s portion begins at around 3:25. He wastes no time in claiming that the media is destroying Trump. He also states that liberalism must be destroyed, and it’s clear that he has no room in his mind for bipartisanship. Hannity would be perfectly satisfied if the entire Democratic party evaporated, and every American citizen came together in a hive mind. He never backs down, even as Koppel provides several examples of why “facts” are the true enemy of Trump, rather than the press.