Another Fox News host has broken from former President Donald Trump on his claim of the lack of election integrity under the guise of COVID-19.
"The president was unhinged during that period," Fox News host Brian Kilmeade told Sunday's "MediaBuzz," recalling the weeks between the 2020 presidential election and Jan. 6, 2021 — when protesters rioted and stopped constitutional procedure certifying the Electoral College votes for Joe Biden in key battleground states contested by House and Senate Republicans.
"I interviewed him at West Point and he was kind enough to give me a few minutes," Kilmeade said. "I've never seen him so angry. That was in between the election and Jan. 6.
"As soon as we were done, he just stormed off. And you know how long I've known him, for 15 years or 20 years prior to him going to the White House. I've never seen him so angry.
"He's convinced he was robbed. There's no doubt about it."
Kilmeade was talking to media critic Howard Kurtz about the House Jan. 6 select committee's pursuit of the former president, and he failed to back Trump's rejection of the 2020 presidential election.
Among Trump's long-held claims, as oft-repeated at his Save America rallies: the Democrats "used COVID to cheat," skirting election law on mass mail-in ballots without lawful approval by state legislatures in key battleground states; they took part in mail-in ballot stuffing; and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg allegedly disproportionately funded ballot dropboxes in heavy Democrat areas to "run up" the margins for Biden.
"I have not seen any evidence and these are all incremental examples," Kilmeade told Kurtz on allegations of breakdowns in 2020 presidential election integrity.
Kilmeade added, both then and now, "Your team couldn't prove it, move on."
"I've said this before: I believe from the time when the election results came in until Jan. 6 is the worst moment of Donald Trump's political career."
"Had he just said — I've got problems with this election; I have my legal team look at it; I'm going to welcome the Bidens to the White House. He'd have about 70% approval rating right now and a clamoring to have him back in office.
"It would be a coronation, not even an election."
Kilmeade suggested Trump should have taken the loss.
"So, I think how you lose in life defines who you are," he continued. "And even if there are things that bother you, well, welcome to the world. A lot of times things don't work out, and are so-called unfair.
"Your team couldn't prove it, move on."
Kilmeade also denounced the Trump campaign team that attempted to challenge the 2020 presidential election, including exhausting all legal and constitutional avenues up to and including debating the certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6 — a debate that was ultimately halted and skipped due to the storming of the Capitol by violent protesters.
"People that I think he trusted a lot kept telling him the other side of the story: 'Don't give up Mr. President; there is something here; you owe it to your party to keep fighting,' " Kilmeade said. "And he kept listening to that."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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