Fox News host Raymond Arroyo recently took issue with California Governor Gavin Newsom's (D) taunt directed at Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R), and prompted widespread mockery from social media users as a result.
During a Thursday segment with Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), Arroyo — who was filling in for Fox News primetime host Laura Ingraham — took offense at Newsom's remark that Abbott "rolled over" for President Donald Trump when the administration asked him to redraw congressional maps to give Republicans another five seats in the House of Representatives. Arroyo reminded viewers that Abbott is wheelchair-bound and that Newsom's use of the popular idiom "rolled over" was ableist.
The "Ingraham Angle" guest host asserted that Newsom's comment was just as bad, if not worse, than Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) referring to Abbott as "Governor Hot Wheels," though Crockett said at the time that her comment was not about his disability but about "the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable."
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"We asked for a statement and Newsom's office said something flippant like, 'oh, you're so woke, he'll get over it, Abbott will get over it," Arroyo said. He then displayed a statement from Newsom communications director Izzy Gordon that read: "How woke of you to ask! "I'm sorry Greg's feelings were hurt. Poor guy — we hope he recovers."
Users on the social media platform X piled on. One user juxtaposed Arroyo's outrage on behalf of Abbott with the network's refusal to treat Trump's mocking of a disabled reporter the same way, sarcastically writing: "Trump would never poke fun at someone's disability like that." Another user reminded Arroyo that the phrase "roll over" has been used "to describe weak politicians since before Abbott came into office." And another user simply responded: "Cry more!"
"Who’s the snowflake now? MAGA are so darn sensitive," one X user tweeted.
"Given what [T]rump says about people on a daily basis, Fox News’ faux outrage is ridiculous," tweeted University of Queensland senior lecturer Josh Merfeld. "Either repudiate all of the name calling or none of it. You can’t have it both ways."
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Watch the video of Arroyo's comments below, or by clicking this link.