Fox News talking head Bill Hemmer struggled to meaningfully define one of the top buzzwords in elections nationwide.
Hemmer, who is the co-anchor of the show America’s Newsroom, joined the Outnumbered panel today to discuss the major elections taking place in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York on November 4.
In the middle of a panel-wide meltdown about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani sitting in the nosebleed seats at a basketball game, Hemmer took a detour to question the meaning of the word “affordability.”
“I don’t know for the life of me how you define affordability. I don’t know what that means,” Hemmer proclaimed.
“He does not know either, he is rich,” Outnumbered host Harris Faulkner replied.
So that Hemmer is no longer confused, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “affordability” as “having a cost that is not too high.”
The term has been a buzz word in campaigns across the country in the lead up to the Nov. 4 elections. It’s become an even more critical topic of conversation as the government enters its 35th day of shutdown.
The shuttering has not only resulted in government employees not getting paid, but no funding for crucial aid programs like the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).
Nationwide, there’s been an 18.2 percent increase in the cost of food since 2022. MAGA voters who relied on SNAP have stated they regret voting for President Donald Trump as they now struggle to afford food.
For the New York City mayoral race, the cost of living has been a central issue. In the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods, rent has increased by 60 percent between 2020 and 2024.
This context didn’t make it into Hemmer’s conjecture.
“If you can afford your car or your house, I don’t know what this means,” Hemmer continued. “It’s so subjective, okay. We have run an entire campaign on it here in New York and similar into New Jersey and Virginia. I’m done for now.”
Later in the segment, panelist Martha MacCallum chimed in on what people who are struggling with the cost of living in New York should do: “My first apartment in New York, we had three of us jammed in. We couldn’t afford an apartment in New York. I had a waitressing job at night and lived with two of my girlfriends… so that’s how you make it affordable. You get an extra job.”
The out-of-touch comments from Fox News personalities come as Trump is under continued fire for his decision to throw a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween bash at Mar-a-Lago the night before SNAP benefits cut off for 42 million people. The party featured showgirls sitting in larger-than-life champagne glasses, flapper dancers, and guests dripping in sparkling costumes.
On Tuesday, Trump said that he would not resume funding for SNAP, despite his administration’s agreement one day prior to pay out half of the benefits through the remainder of the shutdown.
“SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly “handed” to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” the MAGA leader wrote on TruthSocial.
The post Fox News Host Stumped Trying to Define ‘Affordability’ appeared first on The Daily Beast.
