LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In a Thanksgiving-themed tirade on Fox News, 'The Ingraham Angle,' commentator Charlie Hurt stirred controversy by asserting that Democrats harbor a disdain for pies and are intentionally making Americans "suffer" by allegedly banning gas stoves.
The bizarre claims unfolded in the aftermath of Vice President Kamala Harris' holiday photo, where she and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were seen in their kitchen next to what appeared to be a gas stove, prompting a cascade of criticism.
Fox News' Charlie Hurt accuses Democrats of spreading 'misinformation'
Hurt seized on the opportunity to lambast Democrats, accusing them of spreading "misinformation" about potential gas stove bans.
Referring to Harris' Thanksgiving post, he remarked, “It’s so funny that people saw [Ms Harris’] tweet and they saw her stove. They rightly heckled and mocked her, and made fun of her and ridiculed her."
“And then all of the Democrats got freaked out and went and jumped online and said, ‘Oh, no, wait a minute. They don’t want to take away the gas stoves. That’s misinformation.' No, they do want to take away the gas stoves and in fact they are taking away the gas stoves in any of the places where they control things," Hurt continued.
The pundit suggested that Democrats' motivation behind such actions is rooted in a deep-seated animosity, proclaiming, "I think because they hate us. They hate humans. They hate joyfulness, they hate pies. They hate good food."
According to Hurt, Democrats apparently desire widespread misery and unhappiness.
"They want us to suffer because when we’re not suffering… we’re making things, we’re creating things. We’re joyful. We’re doing wonderful things, everybody’s happy and that drives them crazy because they’re all miserable," he said, adding, “They want all of America to be as miserable and unhappy and unloved as they are and we’re just not going to go along with it.”
The uproar stems from recent policies in Democrat-controlled cities aimed at regulating gas appliances to curb greenhouse gas emissions and enhance indoor air quality.
Despite Hurt's assertion of a blanket ban, the Biden administration has not proposed such a measure.
The controversy gained momentum following a Department of Energy (DOE) analysis indicating that approximately 50 per cent of gas stoves currently on the market would not meet new efficiency standards.
The DOE clarified that the intention was to compel gas stove manufacturers to enhance their products' efficiency rather than an outright ban.
The proposed standards, slated for implementation in 2027, are projected to save US consumers up to $1.7 billion.
In adherence to congressional mandates, the DOE aims to ensure consumers have access to cost-effective and energy-efficient options, per the DOE website.
Internet bashes Fox News host Charlie Hurt
Social media reactions to Hurt's claims were swift and critical.
"This guy on crack?" one posted on X (formerly Twitter).
"The things they come up with are getting weirder and weirder," another offered.
"MAGA in 1886: They want to replace our horses and carriages with these things called 'cars' that will never work!" someone else quipped.
"Right wing critics no longer pretend to be telling the truth. They just accuse their opponents of any crap they can imagine," a comment read.
"Sigh. No one is coming after gas stoves. These people are exhausting. They want cheaper stoves to leak less. Jesus this just makes me crazy!" another reacted.
