Jesse Watters speaking with attendees at the 2020 Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Fox News host Jesse Watters was pained Tuesday night as he watched the early results of the midterm elections roll in, some of which showed ominous signs for Republicans.
"I've been looking at the numbers, Martha," Watters said to his co-host, Martha MacCallum. "It's not a red wave. I don't think we're going to get our $5,000 checks."
Republicans entered the midterms with public polling showing the party trailing Democrats in a host of key races, spanning predominantly red states from Maine to Iowa. President Donald Trump had gone on a 30-day rally tour ahead of the elections, hoping to increase support for Republican candidates, even though his approval rating is at a near-historic low.
One of the promises Trump made on the campaign trail was to pay every American adult $5,000 if the Republicans maintain their majority in the House and Senate. Trump said he wouldn't pay the money if Democrats flipped either chamber.
Watters pointed out several issues working against the president and Republicans on Tuesday.
"The Democrats handed Donald Trump three major problems: the economy, illegal immigration, and crime," Watters said. "And if you look at these exit polls, crime and illegal immigration don't even show up. So, he solved two out of the three. He didn't solve the big one, the economy, the big kahuna, and that's what they wanted."
Watters also noted that Trump took some "big gambles" ahead of the midterms, such as launching a trade war with Canada and attacking Iran, both of which raised prices for American consumers.
"These were big gambles, big risks, and it remains to be seen how that's going to play out," Watters said.
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