Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy on Sunday made a strange reach, suggesting that Jill Biden’s partially at fault for the crisis in Afghanistan because she allowed her husband to run for president.
During a segment on President Joe Biden’s slipping approval ratings amid the Taliban takeover of Kabul, “Fox & Friends” weekend co-host Will Cain said the U.S. was losing standing on the world stage as a result of Biden’s handling of Afghanistan.
Campos-Duffy agreed, then went on to point the finger at the first lady.
“When you look at what’s hurting America, when you look at this lack of leadership, and you wonder, who are the people responsible for putting someone this incompetent and frankly this, you know, mentally frail in this position?” she said.
“I’m sorry, as a political spouse, I can’t help but look at Jill Biden,” continued Campos-Duffy, who is married to former GOP congressman Sean Duffy.
“No one knew better his state of mind than Dr. Jill Biden,” she added, making a point of emphasizing “doctor,” even though the first lady holds a doctorate in education, not medicine.
“And if you ask me, the most patriotic thing Jill Biden could have done was tell her husband ― to love her husband ― and not let him run in this mental state that he’s in,” she concluded. “I think she failed the country as well.”
It’s apparently on-brand for the Fox News host, who earlier this year accused former first lady Michelle Obama, a private citizen, of failing to help schools to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic.
Jill Biden’s name was trending after the segment, as her supporters flooded the feed with praise for her and Fox News critics shook their heads at the remarks. Some asked why Melania Trump wasn’t blamed for any of her husband’s decisions, including the deal he cut with the Taliban last year, his handling of the pandemic, and the insurrection he incited. Others simply marveled at the extent of the reach.
Fox News did not immediately return a request for comment.
See some of the reactions below.