Livid Fox News host called out on air over fabrication: ‘I’ve got the quote right here!’

Fox News’ Julie Banderas was called out on air Friday by Democratic strategist Corbin Trent after she repeatedly mischaracterized a quote from a progressive commentator.

Last week, progressive influencer and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker sparked bipartisan backlash after condemning what he called a “very dangerous mode of propaganda” that he argued was “teaching people the idea that Jews are monolithic” in their support for Israel. He also warned that such “propaganda” could risk the safety of Jewish Americans.

“If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone is going to come around and take action, not against the state of Israel mind you, but against American Jews,” Piker said.

American Jews are broadly divided in their support for Israel and its actions. A recent AP-NORC poll found that “about half” of religious Jewish Americans believed Israel’s actions in Gaza were justified, and for non-religious Jewish Americans, about 2 in 10. Furthermore, roughly a quarter of religious Jewish Americans — and 4 in 10 non-religious Jewish Americans — believe Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.

Banderas opened by calling Piker an “antisemite,” and suggested it was a “bad” look for the Democratic Party given Piker’s support for Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. Trent immediately pushed back.

“The thing that people keep saying is that Hasan Piker said that Jews are to blame for whatever happens to them, but let's think about actually the things that he said and how similar it is to what other people have said,” Trent said.

Trent went on to cite similar quotes from CNN’s Dana Bash and prominent New York Times columnist Ezra Klein — who is Jewish — to further pushback against Banderas’ characterization of Piker’s remarks. Banderas was forced to admit that other prominent media figures had made similar remarks, but dismissed them as being “the liberal media.”

“It's not the liberal media saying it, it's not just Hasan Piker, it is happening across the American public,” Trent said. “The actions of Israel are so extreme, and our support for that is so extreme and unending, that people are having backlash — and yes, that does indeed create a problem for Jewish people, and it's not just extreme people that are saying that.”

A visibly livid Banderas, again, paraphrased Piker’s quote in a manner that Trent accused of being false.

“Piker said that American Jews are basically bringing violence onto themselves for supporting Israel — that's just crazy!”

Trent bluntly told Banderas: “That’s not what he said.”

“That is what he said!” Banderas fired back.

Smirking, Trent again refuted Banderas’ characterization of Piker’s quote, and informed her: “I've got the quote right here, do you want to hear it?”

Banderas did not take Trent up on his offer, and instead characterized Piker’s quote as blaming American Jews’ support for Israel as “calling violence onto themselves."