The “Gutfeld!” gang couldn’t be more politically polar-opposite from self-styled democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, but the Fox News late-night panel was universal in praising the Vermont congressman’s handling of a near-fight at the U.S. Capitol.
Sanders had the gavel when Sen. Mark Wayne Mullin of Oklahoma challenged Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to brawl during a heated hearing moment that’s since been heard ’round the world. The 82-year-old forcefully shut down the escalating tough talk, using only his voice to stop the two from coming to blows.
“You’ve got to love Old Man Sanders!” host Greg Gutfeld gushed, without a hint of irony. “He could have been a great president.”
“He won the fight!” responded regular panelist Kat Timpf. “You know what’s crazy? … Bernie Sanders won the fight without – he didn’t stand up, he didn’t even lift his head, OK? He didn’t even break a sweat.”
Chandler Juliet, an actress and comedian who was a guest panelist on Wednesday night’s show, called the exchange “juicy” and gave all the credit to Sanders: “Bernie did shut it down.”
The only dissent came from “Gutfeld!” regular Tyrus, himself a former professional wrestler, who said Sanders should have just let them fight it out.
“When the guy said, ‘You want to handle it right here,’ he had nowhere to go. … If I would have been in that Senate chamber, no, no, no, let’s let them fight. We get something settled tonight, this ends here … when the so-called senators and congressmen get up here and can’t figure this out, cool, mortal combat, let’s go.”
This being a Fox News show, someone had to get in a dig at the man who embodies the socialist wing of the Democratic Party – that being “Fox Across America” host Jimmy Failla.
“I have a theory,” he said. “Bernie only broke it up so he can sell tickets to the fight so he can show how capitalism leads to violence.”
Watch the entire exchange (including Sanders’ masterclass on de-escalation) in the video clip above.