Fox News host Martha MacCallum put State Department spokesman Ned Price in the hot seat over President Joe Biden's administration's disastrous handling of the U.S.-Mexico border crisis that was sparked by his policies.
MacCallum pointed to a story in Politico that revealed the Biden White House is upset at Fox News Correspondent Bill Melugin's heavy focus on the border crisis. They say his coverage overhypes the issue, though all Melugin does is show live videos of hundreds of people illegally crossing the southern border on a daily basis.
"One, I’m at the State Department. More importantly, I’m not a media critic. I will leave it to others to represented judgment on media coverage. What I can tell is what we are doing with countries throughout the region, with our partners in the U.S. government to address the root causes of migration," said Price. "The root factors that are pulling people away from their homes in places in Central America, in South America and the broader region that are, in some cases, bringing them to our border. The State Department is working hard every day to try to address those pool factors, those root cause..."
"With all due respect, would you say that it's fair to say that those efforts are failing since two million people have crossed the border, a record number, 900,000 have gotten away? The numbers do matter, right, Ned?" MacCallum pressed.
"Of course numbers matter. But it also matters that this is a challenge that has built up over the course of decades now..." Price began to reply.
"It’s gotten considerably worse in your administration, the administration you work for. Considerably worse. Not better. Root causes have not been addressed," MacCallum interjected.
Price continued to defend Biden's administration's approach to the border crisis by saying they can not address long-standing "root causes" overnight and it is something they are "working on it as diligently" as they can.