Fox News host Jesse Watters has accused Gavin Newsom of not being manly enough—while wearing a full face of make-up.
Watters, who always takes to the screen wearing thick foundation and what many suspect to be eyeliner, has long faced online chatter about his use of cosmetics.
Yet while discussing Newsom’s attempts to counter Donald Trump’s strongman persona with a tough-talking approach of his own, Watters said, seemingly without irony, “This guy talks a big game but... it is all sizzle and no steak.
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“[He has] two problems, big. Nancy Pelosi is his mentor. You never want to have a female mentor if you are a guy. It is obvious.
“Second, he is not strong enough. Americans want power. Democrats really want power. They want an FDR, a Trump, they want a Teddy Roosevelt. Someone to come in and knock heads together.
“Gavin Newsom has never shown an ability to not care what the radical left thinks and do what he thinks is right. Until he gets that, he’s got nothing.”
Watters, 47, regularly comments on the masculinity of other men and his perception of what makes a “real man.”
He does so despite having once opened his show by admitting to getting make-up in his eye and having faced online ribbing from viewers for wearing what appears to be eyeliner.
The TV presenter’s latest target was Newsom, who in the past fortnight has put Republican politicians and media figures into a spin by taking a tougher approach to tackling Trump.
The California governor has gone on the road to give a series of hard-hitting speeches, in which he attacked the president’s policies. And his social media team has started mocking Trump’s Truth Social posting style with their own versions, written all in caps.
All of which led Watters to tell viewers of The Five, “If I got my hands on him, I could totally bring out the potential in him.
“He is like one of those guys that, like when you know, first round draft pick, kind of a risky move. A lot of potential, but also a poor work ethic, a lot of package.
“If you get him in front of coaching from us...[he’s] got a fast mouth, hot wife, looks good in a suit.
“The problem is, he doesn’t have the first-round quarterback moxie that can rally a locker room. That is really what you do when you gamble on these guys.”
The Daily Beast has contacted Fox News, Jesse Watters, and Gavin Newsom for comment.
