Fox News' Ainsley Earhardt 'Sorry' for Calling Vermont Governor Candidate 'That Transgender' (Exclusive)

“Fox & Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt apologized on Wednesday for referring to Vermont’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Christine Hallquist as “that transgender” on the show’s most recent broadcast.

“I was responding to the reporter’s comments when I moved too quickly and couldn’t recall Christine Hallquist’s name,” said Earhardt in an exclusive statement to TheWrap. “As a person of faith, I sincerely promise I never ever meant anything derogatory and I am sorry it may have come off that way.”

On set, Earhardt dropped the “that transgender” line while the show recapped the winners and losers of various primaries around the country this week.

Also Read: Tomi Lahren Admits: I Kicked My Dog 5 Times During Live 'Fox & Friends' Appearance (Video)

“That transgender beat the 14-year-old,” said Earhardt referring to one of Hallquist’s primary challengers, teenager Ethan Sonneborn, who took advantage of a loophole to get on the ballot.

“They didn’t have an age limit and that 14-year-old said I’m going to run,” she added. “Ran in the primary. Didn’t win.”

The moment drew widespread scorn online including a viral rebuke from Chelsea Clinton.

“Her name is Christine Hallquist. More about her here,” said Clinton, while including a link to Hallquist’s website.

Her name is Christine Hallquist. More about her here: https://t.co/6zaFuDnecO https://t.co/LaLYrOJp74

— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) August 15, 2018

Hallquist’s primary victory on Tuesday made her the first transgender American to ever receive a major party nomination for governor of a U.S. state. Reps for the Hallquist campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment from TheWrap.

It was a newsworthy day on the popular Fox News morning show. Also on the program, the cast offered a rueful assessment of President Trump’s handling of the Omarosa situation, with Brian Kilmeade telling viewers (and likely the president himself) that he was allowing himself to be had by his former apprentice.

“In order to sell a book, [Omarosa] has come out with a series of tapes and in many ways, seems to have outsmarted the president,” said Kilmeade with dismay. “[Trump] has taken the bait and gone out and tweeted directly after her.”

You can watch the full “Fox & Friends” segment where the moment occurred below.

Mike Cernovich, a Timeline: From Choking Advice to Pizzagate to Firings (Photos)

Maybe you'd never heard of right-wing provocateur Mike Cernovich before last week, when he helped get James Gunn fired from the next "Guardians of the Galaxy" film by highlighting Gunn's old Twitter jokes about rape and pedophilia. But Cernovich himself has a long history online, filled with both successes and statements he has since distanced himself from -- for reasons that will be obvious.
Advice on Choking Women

Before gaining fame as a Trump superfan, Cernovich got his start in the men's rights and pick-up artist community. His advice column, published on his blog "Danger and Play," included suggestions on the proper way to "choke" women during sex. This entry from December 2011 has since been deleted: "Choking works because it’s a show of dominance. Women only want to have consensual sex with men they know could rape them."
Pizzagate

Cernovich first came to wide public attention over his promotion of a conspiracy theory during the 2016 election that suggested that a pedophile ring was being run out of the basement of a Washington, D.C. pizzeria. The story was bunk, and Cernovich has moved to distance himself from Pizzagate.
Will Sommer/Twitter
John Conyers

Cernovich's biggest score of all probably wasn't James Gunn, but John Conyers. A tip provided by Cernovich to BuzzFeed about accusations of sexual misconduct forced the Democrat to resign his seat in disgrace in December 2017.
Getty Images
Sam Seder

Mike Cernovich targeted the MSNBC contributor over a years-old joke about his daughter being raped. MSNBC dropped Seder in December 2017, but reinstated him after a public backlash.
MSNBC
Sopan Deb

Cernovich went after New York Times reporter Sopan Deb in March 2017 over a tweeted pun about the rapper Bow Wow. The incident earned Deb an official rebuke from the Times' then-public editor, Liz Spayd.
Josh Barro

In November 2017, Cernovich demanded an apology from Josh Barro after the Business Insider Senior Editor made fun of his lisp. Barro swiftly retreated.
Twitter
Perry Fein

In June 2018, Los Angeles Times freelancer Perry Fein slipped into Cernovich's DMs and wished harm upon him. His relationship with the newspaper was over just hours later.
Los Angeles Times Media Group
James Gunn

Last week, Cernovich helped lead an online campaign highlighting old tweets in which Gunn joked about rape about pedophilia. Gunn offered an apology, but was dropped by Disney from the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise.
Getty Images
Cheri Jacobus

Before the James Gunn situation, Cernovich also led a brief and successful campaign to pressure USA Today to drop columnist Cheri Jacobus. The decision from the paper came after Jacobus' bizarre comments about convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Michael Ian Black

Cernovich has trained his fire on comedian Michael Ian Black, who has said several times on Twitter that his tweets about pedophilia were only jokes.
YouTube
Dan Harmon

Fresh off his victory in ousting Gunn from "Guardians of the Galaxy," Cernovich forced "Rick and Morty" co-creator Dan Harmon and his employers at Adult Swim to apologize over an old sketch that featured Harmon graphically simulating the rape of a baby. (The sketch used a doll, not an actual baby.)
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The right-wing provocateur has become a thorn to liberals online

Maybe you'd never heard of right-wing provocateur Mike Cernovich before last week, when he helped get James Gunn fired from the next "Guardians of the Galaxy" film by highlighting Gunn's old Twitter jokes about rape and pedophilia. But Cernovich himself has a long history online, filled with both successes and statements he has since distanced himself from -- for reasons that will be obvious.

View In Gallery

Mike Cernovich, a Timeline: From Choking Advice to Pizzagate to Firings (Photos)

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