Fox Business' 1st Debate Move: Alienate Conservative Viewers by Playing Diversity Card
There’s plenty of wokeness to go around without it making an appearance at the GOP presidential debate.
But welcome to the new Fox News — or, rather to say, Fox Business Network, which aired the second debate between most of the Republican 2024 contenders not named Donald Trump.
One of the main issues for the first half-hour of the debate was the border crisis and what should be done regarding illegal immigration. The candidates were clear: Open borders are a major issue, and America cannot deal with unprecedented illegal immigration and the crime it brings.
But right at the start, the folks hosting the debate seemed to signal that the cultural changes wrought by immigration are now baked into American culture.
Along with Fox Business (and streaming service Rumble), Spanish-language broadcaster Univision was also airing the debate. Which, fine.
What wasn’t fine with many social media users, however, was the bilingual open to the debate, thanks to Univision moderator Ilia Calderón.
“Please allow me to welcome our Spanish-speaking audience,” Calderón began, followed by a Spanish-language welcome to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
Some, like Cuban-American conservative activist Robby Starbuck, weren’t fans of the open.
“Hey @foxnews @gop, Latinos like me don’t want you to speak Spanish during a debate for President in America,” Starbuck wrote on social media.
“American citizens speak English. Translate it for abuelas to watch in their 1st language on Univision, that’s fine, but don’t do this to everyone.”
Latinos like me don’t want you to speak Spanish during a debate for President in America. American citizens speak English. Translate it for abuelas to watch in their 1st language on Univision, that’s fine, but don’t do this to everyone. pic.twitter.com/gCw4Aet5BS
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 28, 2023
Other social media users seemed to concur:
I speak Spanish and I was struggling to make out what she was attempting to say in English. Why do this???
— Milenka~ (@MilenaAmit) September 28, 2023
Latinos like me learned the English language because I we live in America!
Y no te preocupes por abuela @robbystarbuck ella está en la sala mirando su novela 😂
— Red Rebel (@redrebelarmy) September 28, 2023
Pandering at it’s most desparate.
— USAUltraMagaChingona619 🇺🇸 🙌✝ (@Kambearoz_rocky) September 28, 2023
And, as another user noted, it’s mindboggling that this was being done at the Republican debate, considering it’s a Democratic president who’s busy making sure this change toward bilingualism is baked in:
Biden is busy making America a Spanish speaking country. 👇👇 https://t.co/Cm53J9a7zP
— Paul Hookem 🇺🇸 (@PaulHook_em) September 28, 2023
But this is apparently the Fox family of networks in 2023: One of the first moves was a calculated virtue-signal toward diversity. What a surprise.
The rest of the debate, of course, was conducted in English. For voters who only speak Spanish, well, that’s what Univision’s coverage is for — to translate it. But the language the debate was being conducted in made it clear what the lingua franca of the United States is, even if it isn’t the official language. Democrats, of course, love to make the line between English and Spanish as the lingua franca a little bit muddier.
When Fox Business is doing the same thing, however, conservatives have every right to be wary of a “conservative” network that’s given them no shortage of reasons to be circumspect over the past few years.
The Western Journal has reached out to Fox for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
