Fox News host Will Cain doubled down on his beef with Texas Democrat James Talarico, accusing him of being a “liar” and a “fraudulent man of the cloth.”
On Tuesday, Talarico appeared on Fox’s The Will Cain Show, in what became a heated exchange about election gerrymandering. The Austin representative is one of a number of Texas Democrats holed up in Illinois to foil redistricting plans that could give the Republicans up to five extra seats in Congress.
However after the show, another battle played out on their respective social media accounts. Talarico posted a clip of the interview with the caption, “I just went on Fox News to tell the truth about the redistricting power grab in Texas. I asked a simple question: ‘If Republican policies are so popular, why do they need to redraw these maps; why not run on their policies?’”
He claimed that Cain “refused to answer—and cut the interview early.”
While Cain did say he had to wrap up the interview, there was still another question and some friendly banter over a breakfast taco that went to air on Fox News in the 10-minute interview.
Cain clapped back on his X account, stating: “Your dishonesty in suggesting I cut your interview short perfectly illustrates the honesty of your run away from Texas… Stay in Illinois little Jimmy. Better fit for you than TX.”
Talarico did not respond.
On his show on Wednesday, Cain went in again, citing the Daily Beast’s story from Tuesday that had pointed out the interview was not cut short, as Talarico claimed, even if the pair had clashed several times. The host called their conversation “respectful, if not spirited.”
After a dig at the media, which Cain is a part of, he turned on Talarico, saying he expected more from “a politician, a man of the cloth, somebody who went to seminary, and holds themselves out as the goodwill future of the Democrat party.”
Talarico, a 36-year-old aspiring preacher, has been undertaking a Master of Divinity degree, which he was due to finish this year. Considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, the fourth-term representative from Austin is even said to be mulling a U.S. Senate run against Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
Cain claimed on his TV show that Talarico “lied as easily as he breathes” and accused him of “deceptively editing” their conversation into a 70-second social media post.
He added, “He is a good politician as defined by his ability to lie. It also makes him is an absolute fraudulent man of the cloth. An absolute fraudulent man of God. Somebody without integrity or honor, someone with an inability to tell the truth.”
The Fox News host wasn’t done yet, firing up his X account again on Wednesday for a string of posts that ended with: “Your youth pastor middle school teacher rising star is a liar and fraud.” Talarico has yet to post on his X account since his original post about Cain.
The Daily Beast has contacted Talarico for comment.
The post Fox Host Escalates Clash With Texas Dem in On-Air Meltdown appeared first on The Daily Beast.
