A full 24 hours have passed since Bill O’Reilly made the grievous error of “joking” that he couldn’t listen to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) because he was too bloody distracted by her “James Brown wig.” He said this after mocking Waters as he watched footage of her classifying Trump supporters as “unpatriotic.” When Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt called O’Reilly out for commenting upon Waters’ looks rather than the substance of her speech, he delivered what many considered to be a sexist and racially-charged response. O’Reilly later apologized about his “dumb” remark, and he continued the subject during his Tuesday night “Talking Points” segment.
In the above clip, O’Reilly again criticized his own words by calling them “stupid.” He then deemed it necessary — unlike how he approached the matter earlier — to declare that it’s “necessary to analyze what’s being said.” He called Waters an “extremist” and invited her to visit with him to “define her beef” before stating that she’d never do so because “she doesn’t want to be challenged.” O’Reilly also stated that Waters had no idea what was “dangerous for America” if she didn’t recognize Trump as an asset to poor, disenfranchised voters. Finally, he stated, “That’s not patriotism, madam. That’s demagoguery.”
Bill O’Reilly said “beef”? Yes, he sure did.
Over on MSNBC (and as shown in the below clip), Waters never hinted at whether or not O’Reilly truly invited her to appear on his program. However, she did have plenty of harsh words for the Fox News host:
“I’m a strong black woman. I cannot be intimidated. I cannot be undermined. I cannot be thought to be afraid of Bill O’Reilly or anybody … to women out there everywhere, don’t allow these right-wing talking heads, these dishonorable people, to intimidate you or scare you … When a woman stands up and speaks truth to power, there will be an attempt to put her down,” Waters told Hayes. “I’m not going to be put down, I’m not going to go anywhere. I’m going to stay on the issues.”
Waters went on to call out O’Reilly, along with former Fox News head honcho Roger Ailes, for having “no credibility” because they’re both besieged with lawsuits for “harassment and other kinds of things.” Ailes, of course, was recently ousted from Fox News following a deluge of sexual harassment claims, including allegations that ended in a $20 million settlement for Gretchen Carlson. As for O’Reilly, he was recently the focus of a sexual harassment suit that was quietly settled by Fox News. His name has also surfaced in regard to recent domestic violence allegations, which have not been proven.
You can watch the Waters response below.
.@MaxineWaters on Bill O’Reilly comments: “I am a strong black woman and I cannot be intimidated” #inners https://t.co/B1vRE4nelt
— All In w/Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) March 29, 2017