Fox News Host Jesse Watters Stopped In His Tracks After Being Fact-Checked Live On Air
Fox News’ Jesse Watters was shut down by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as the two discussed Donald Trump’s endorsement of a Florida Republican.
Jesse Watters was shut down by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Image: Getty)
Jesse Watters faced humiliation on-air when he was fact-checked during an episode of his eponymous show, Jesse Watters Primetime.
The Fox News host, 48, was discussing Tuesday night’s election results when he was corrected by Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) about a Republican candidate. Watters stated that incumbent Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), who lost his election to former television reporter Ryan Elijah, was not endorsed by President Trump, 80. After Watters emphasized that Trump “did not endorse Mills,” McCarthy immediately countered the statement.
“[Trump] did. He just didn’t go out and campaign hard,” said McCarthy. This comes after Watters was slammed for a comment about the President.
“What happened there?” asked Watters of Mills’ loss to Elijah. McCarthy responded that there were “a lot” of ethics “issues.”
“Had he won, that seat could’ve been in jeopardy for Republicans,” he continued, “So, it’s probably a good thing for the Republican Party to hold on to that seat.” Democrats look to flip Congress in the upcoming midterm elections this November. Republicans hold a slim majority in both the House and Senate.
Kevin McCarthy corrected Watters about Trump’s endorsement of a Florida Republican (Image: Getty)
President Trump won Florida’s 7th district, where Mills, 46, and Eliijah, 54, faced off, by 12 percentage points in the 2024 election. Per unofficial election results, Elijah won 47.1% of the vote while Mills won 34.3%. Elijah will go on to battle against Democrat Bale Dalton for a seat in the House of Representatives.
While Trump’s endorsements often carry Republican candidates far, ten have lost in this year’s primary elections.
Trump addressed Mills’ loss in a Truth Social post.
“I told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the Race, but he wouldn’t listen,” wrote the President, “He thought he could win, so who can blame him?”
“We now have a great candidate, Ryan Elijah, running in his place! Ryan stands for EVERYTHING MAGA, and is respected by ALL,” continued Trump’s post, “He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
Trump endorsed Mills, but later posted in support of Elijah (Image: Getty)
Trump endorsed the incumbent candidate in February. Mills then faced accusations of physical assault against a woman and potential campaign finance violations. Trump did not rescind his endorsement of Mills, who has continuously denied that he committed any wrongdoing.
In August 2025, Miss United States 2024 winner Lindsey Langston, an ex-girlfriend of Mills, filed a lawsuit against him, alleging that he threatened to release explicit content of her after she ended their relationship. He also reportedly threatened her future partners. Langston was granted a restraining order against Mills through 2025.
