By: Kailey Love | Photo Editor
Snowflakes beware: Tomi Lahren is returning to the political arena.
Unfortunately, much like the mythical hydra (a monster which grows two more heads if you cut off one), taking away Lahren’s public megaphone only made her louder.
Lahren left conservative news outlet “TheBlaze” in March after she was suspended with pay due to comments she made during an appearance on “The View” that were regarded as “pro-choice” and filed a wrongful termination suit upon disembarking. As of 10 p.m. Wednesday night, Lahren will be an official Fox News contributor, primarily appearing on the “Hannity” segment. In addition to joining Fox as a contributor, Lahren will also have a “signature role” on a developing digital product, according to the network.
“I am blessed and honored to join the Fox News team. This exciting new step will allow me to give voice to all the America-loving patriots who have had my back since day one. I will remain a solid and passionate advocate for you,” Lahren wrote in a statement on Facebook.
Formerly of conservative news outlets such as “One America News Network,” Lahren made a name for herself through her unabridged support for President Trump during her “Tomi” segment on TheBlaze and her controversial comments on the Black Lives Matter movement (more specifically, equating it with the actions of the KKK) during an appearance on “The Today Show” with Trevor Noah last November.
Sean Hannity, host of the “Hannity” segment that Lahren will regularly appear on and another avid supporter of the president, has also had his share of controversy. Most recently, he was widely criticized for pushing a false narrative about the death of former DNC data analyst Seth Rich. Though the authorities found no such foul play in his death, Hannity theorized that he was killed as a part of the DNC e-mail scandal concerning the undermining of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ primary campaign. Though the family of the victim repeatedly asked Hannity to stop politicizing Rich’s death and drop the story, Hannity ignored their pleas and continued to discuss the topic at length during his Fox segment until supposed pressure from within the network forced him to drop it.
These two together will be a lethal combination, and not in a good way.
As the President’s approval ratings continue to drop in light of his comments in defense of the white supremacists and placing blame on “both sides” of the protests in Charlottesville, it has become much more difficult for his supporters to defend him. This hasn’t stopped Hannity or Lahren, however. Hannity blasted the media for attempting to “destroy the president” after negative coverage of his statements, saying he was “correct” in blaming both sides for the violence. In an OpEd in “The Hill,” Lahren accused the left of “politicizing tragedy” and also attacked the media for going after the president.
What still seems a bit backward to me is that members of the media are attacking the media and running to the aid of the president whenever he is criticized. It seems counterintuitive, and yet it is what Lahren and Hannity do best.
Giving Lahren a voice on national television, rather than just regarding her as a comical figure not to be taken seriously, gives her a sort of legitimacy that she lacked up until this point. While there is a large group of people who do not regard Fox as a legitimate news network after it has been hesitant to criticize the president time and time again, it still has a loyal following throughout the country. This allows Lahren to access an entirely new audience that she was not able to reach before (due to “TheBlaze” not being a well-recognized outlet throughout the country) and further amplifies her voice.
In joining Hannity, who has consistently been a cheerleader for President Trump (and was even invited to dine with him at the White House on several different occasions), Lahren only contributes to the fueling of the partisan media wars that have been degrading the credibility of the mainstream media as a whole.
