Speaking on Fox News Channel recently, though not on her normal “The Five,” Fox News Channel resident leftist Jessica Tarlov used an idiom that was insensitive at best to comment on making sure that former President Donald Trump doesn’t have another chance to run for president after this election.
As is obviously expected, Tarlov’s use of the idiom that the “final nail in the coffin” needs to be put in Trump’s hopes of ever being elected again, a use made in obviously poor taste, infuriated many commentators, particularly conservative posters on X (formerly Twitter) who called for Tarlov’s firing.
In the clip at issue, Jessica Tarlov said, in reference to defeating former President Donald Trump in this election cycle so badly that he doesn’t run again in the future, such as in the 2028 election, “This is the chance to put the final nail in the coffin so that you don’t have Donald Trump on the ballot again.”
Many online said, almost certainly incorrectly, that the idiom was incitement to violence rather than just poor taste, though the outrage was quite real. Trump ally and “conspiracy theorist” Laura Loomer, for example, wrote, “WATCH: Fox News host Jessica Tarlov @JessicaTarlov, who is a Kamala Harris supporter and Democrat strategist just incited violence against President Trump LIVE ON AIR after he survived 2 assassination attempts. She should be fired for this. ‘This is the chance to put the final nail in the coffin so that you don’t have Donald Trump on the ballot again.’ Fire her, @FoxNews!”
On much the same note, conservative X personality Gunther Eagleman slammed Tarlov and called for her firing, writing, “Why did @JessicaTarlov incite violence against Trump? ‘This is the chance to put the final nail in the coffin so that you don’t have Donald Trump on the ballot again.’ She should be fired immediately!”
Similarly, a conservative commentator named Paul Szypula slammed the FNC personality for her “vile” rhetoric about the former president, saying, “Jessica Tarlov: ‘This is the chance to put the final nail in the coffin so that you don’t have Donald Trump on the ballot again.’ Unbelievable, they’re just saying it directly now. Shame on Tarlov for her vile violent rhetoric.”
More reasonably than those who claimed that Tarlov was inciting violence rather than just using an inappropriate idiom, conservative X personality Matt Whitlock wrote, “Feels like after multiple assassination attempts, Dems should consider rhetoric about Donald Trump that doesn’t evoke death.”
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Numerous other posters, quote tweeting posts like those of Gunther Eagleman and Laura Loomer, said things like “Fire @JessicaTarlov now! Nail in the coffin? Really @FoxNews ???? She should be terminated immediately” and “FOX news time to fire Jessica Tarlov if you want ANY viewers left!”
On much the same note, a commenter on Loomer’s post said it is odd that Tarlov’s being a mother now hasn’t moderated some of her rhetoric, writing, “Jessica says some straight up inflammatory things. She is a mother and you would think at this point she would know better but her Trump Derangement syndrome prevents her from being logical.”
Watch the comment that sparked the controversy here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video