Gutfeld: ‘Hypocritical’ For People Backing a ‘Centrist Republican’ To Call Others ‘Establishment’

Fox News Channel host Greg Gutfeld criticized “talking head opportunists, who keep talking about the establishment…calling people RINOs and squishies, and now, they have the gall, backing a centrist Republican, and calling everybody else establishment” during a special primary edition of “The Five.”

Gutfeld said, [relevant remarks begin around 6:15] “[T]he biggest line [in Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s press conference earlier that evening] was when he said, I don’t think there’s such [a] thing as establishment. I’m going, ‘Finally, somebody speaks the truth and calls out all of these talking head opportunists, who keep talking about the establishment, and demeaning people that have worked for years, trying to win.’ And by the way, they won in the Senate, and they won in the House. And so they create — so you have these hardline conservatives, calling people RINOs and squishies, and now, they have the gall, backing a centrist Republican, and calling everybody else establishment. That’s hypocritical.”

Fellow host Eric Bolling, who earlier had stated, “[I]t’s time for Mitt Romney, and the establishment to unify the GOP and stop dividing it.” Responded, “Can we at least call outsider vs. insider? Is that a fair assessment?”

Gutfeld, after the rest of the panel briefly diverted into a discussion over who was an outsider or an insider, stated, “The same person that made the divisions about squishies and RINOs, is now doing the insider-outsider, in order to defend oneself when he called people squishies and RINOs. So now you’re shifting it to inside and outside so you can step away from the fact.”

Bolling denied that he was shifting, adding that Trump and fellow candidate Texas Senator Ted Cruz aren’t “typical DC insider elite.” He further said, “I’ll try and re-name it something that’s acceptable to you.”

Gutfeld responded that he doesn’t like labels, but re-iterated that Bolling was backing away from his earlier establishment vs. non-establishment division and that he believed Bolling was being too harsh.

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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