Fox News host Sean Hannity sparred, clashed, and stumped New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday when the Democratic presidential hopeful faced the conservative TV titan who has trashed him for years.
For one hour on cable news’ top-rated show, their raised voices crossed as they disagreed on taxation of the wealthy, gun control, abortion laws, policing, the environment — and just about everything else!
Hannity credited de Blasio as the only 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful brave enough to come on the conservative television program — but he didn’t hold back any punches.
In the end, he summed up the heated interview by telling the mayor: “I’m never going to agree with you. You drive me crazy!”
Hannity ended the show by jokingly suggesting the two men bet on whether New York public schoolchildren if asked, would vote for the healthy, vegetarian “Meatless Mondays” de Blasio has announced for this fall — or favorite fast foods Hannity brand-named.
But they also tackled the thorny issues facing Americans that are far from funny.
The host took aim at de Blasio’s vow to “tax the hell out of the wealthy” to address income inequality.
“Do you think that my money, that I’ve earned and saved, is in the wrong hands?” Hannity asked.
De Blasio wants wealthy Americans to pay 70 percent of income in taxes.
Hannity challenged de Blasio to explain why the mayor favors offering tax-funded health care to immigrants in New York City who are in the United States illegally.
“I want everybody who’s here [in New York] to get healthcare because what’s happening right now? Folks go to the emergency room because they don’t have a doctor, and who’s paying for it? The same taxpayers,” de Blasio replied.
He said he didn’t support a border wall. “I support border security but not walls,” he said. “I don’t think we need additional walls because, look, there are 11 million people here right now.”
De Blasio called the undocumented immigrants living in the United States the, “biggest ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ in American history.”
“There’s no invasion,” he added. “There are people here already who are part of our community.”
Hannity has often taken shots at the liberal mayor of the nation’s largest city, dubbing him “comrade de Blasio” and blasting his approach to matters ranging from the economy to Trump.
De Blasio, meanwhile, has criticized Fox News as divisive. But the mayor said earlier this week that he would appear on “Hannity” in hopes of reaching Americans of all political persuasions, though the channel’s viewers tend to be conservative.
As they kept cutting each other off on Wednesday, trying to finish sentences. At one point, Hannity had to tell de Blasio, “This isn’t your show!”
You can see the heated back-and-forth below —
The Associated Press contributed to this article