Kaitlin Bennett, a correspondent for the conspiracy theory outlet Infowars and employee of the far-right outlet Liberty Hangout, appeared on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends First” program Wednesday morning, where she asked the president to support conservatives on college campuses.
Bennett’s appearance on Fox News came after she attempted to make a video on Ohio University’s campus Monday and was confronted by a crowd of angry protestors. The incident has been lifted up by national conservative media as the latest instance supporting its well-worn college campus outrage machine. Since the incident, Bennett has leaned into the opportunity, using her experience to echo right-wing campus organizing groups’ existing demands that universities who do not sufficiently protect conservative views on their campuses be ineligible for federal grants.
Host Heather Childers introduced Bennett as a “Second Amendment advocate” and a “gun rights activist” on the network’s early morning show, failing to disclose that Bennett has worked as a correspondent for Infowars and for Liberty Hangout, a far-right media platform. On air, Bennett also took measures to whitewash the activism in which she and her associate, Joel Patrick, take part.
“Both of us are very much more than just gun rights advocates. We’re conservative. We’re Trump supporters. We are people who believe in the president’s message. We’re people who stand up for him. And we’re people that have been recognized by the White House as people who support him and help his campaign and help him get reelected,” Bennett told Childers.
Toward the end of her appearance on “Fox & Friends First,” Bennett pleaded directly to President Donald Trump, who regularly watches the network.
“President Trump, if you’re watching—I know you like to watch ‘Fox & Friends’—please consider what’s going on to Trump supporters on college campuses all across the United States. This is not in a liberal place. This is in the middle of nowhere in Ohio. It’s spreading. Your students, your supporters on these campuses, need your help to feel safe on campus and to help you get reelected,” Bennett said.
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Bennett gained national notoriety in 2018 after taking her college graduation photos with a rifle; the stunt earned Bennett the nickname “gun girl” and her status as a punchline for online ridicule. Before that, Bennett was most notable for disbanding her campus Turning Point USA chapter over what she believed to be the organization’s abandonment of her chapter after photos of the chapter’s members wearing diapers to protest “safe spaces” circulated online.
But Bennett has also worked with extreme elements of the right-wing movement. After her flash of viral fame, she went on to work as a correspondent for Alex Jones’ conspiracy theory outlet Infowars and continued producing content for Liberty Hangout, which has engaged in Holocaust denial and spread white nationalist rhetoric.
