The set of “Fox & Friends” was triumphant Monday, declaring a victory of sorts after reporting that nobody kneeled for the national anthem ahead of Super Bowl LII.
“Everyone stood. That is the headline this morning. I’m so glad to see that,” said co-host Ainsley Earhardt.
Earhardt’s fellow co-host Steve Doocy was equally pleased, offering up praise and credit to the show’s most important viewer, President Donald Trump.
“The president of the United States sent out a tweet, and the message was clear,” Doocy said.
Through White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Trump used the Super Bowl to issue a statement praising the U.S. military and worked in a pointed reminder about the anthem.
“We owe these heroes the greatest respect for defending our liberty and our American way of life,” said Trump. “We hold them in our hearts and thank them for our freedom as we proudly stand for the national anthem.”
President’s message to brave men and women of our Armed Forces unable to be home with family and friends to enjoy the Super Bowl: “We hold them in our hearts and thank them for our freedom as we proudly stand for the National Anthem.” #USA pic.twitter.com/GpyqsLBvmP
— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) February 4, 2018
The show’s third co-host Brian Kilmeade was also pleased with the night, praising the lack of politicization.
“We got a brief respite from the political process,” he said. “In fact, most of the ads I thought were more humorous. Last year they were a little bit more political.”
The hosts were noncommittal on Pink’s performance of the actual anthem, and spent a not insignificant amount of time debating whether she had been chewing on gum or a cough drop, or a lozenge before her performance. (They apparently missed the widespread reports that the singer performed despite a severe bout of the flu.)