Gutfeld credits Fox with forcing coverage of border, COVID origins and gender care
Source: Fox News · All Fox News reports
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Summary
In a monologue marking Fox News' 30th anniversary, Greg Gutfeld argues the network created competitive pressure on legacy media by covering underreported stories including border crossings, crimes by undocumented immigrants, COVID relief fraud, the lab-leak hypothesis, failures of gender medicine, and government waste. He claims Fox led on these while others dismissed them as xenophobic or conspiratorial, eventually forcing acknowledgment as evidence mounted. The segment uses humor, personal jabs at competitors, and lists of issues to portray Fox as essential counterweight to biased mainstream coverage.
Editorial Assessment
The broadcast accurately notes record border encounters during the Biden years (peaking above 2.4 million in FY2023) that Fox covered heavily while many outlets initially minimized them, and recent sharp declines in 2025. Substantial fraud in COVID relief programs is documented by GAO, with UI fraud alone estimated at $100-135 billion. Youth gender clinics have faced closures, investigations, and funding cuts under the current administration, validating concerns raised years earlier. However, viewers miss nuance: crime spiked in 2020 but has declined in many cities since; COVID origins remain debated with intelligence agencies split and most scientific analyses favoring natural spillover; Fox's ratings dominance is real but its influence is one factor among many in shifting narratives. The partisan tone and selective emphasis on 'hoaxes' and 'lies' by opponents can skew perception toward viewing all contrary coverage as cowardice rather than legitimate disagreement.
Key Moments
Border numbers, repeat crossings, and crimes by illegals were public but avoided by national press as xenophobic; Fox led with monthly numbers
CBP data confirm record encounters 2021-2024 (e.g. 2.4M+ in FY2023), with sharp drop in FY2025; numerous studies and reports document initial media reluctance to emphasize crisis framing.
We didn't buy the evidence on gender care because there was none; it was a hoax and now clinics are shutting down
Major medical bodies still support individualized care; however multiple hospitals have closed youth programs or settled investigations under Trump DOJ pressure in 2025-2026, and CMS ended federal Medicaid funding for such care for minors effective Oct 2026.
Government fraud in COVID relief, billions tied to immigrant networks, was buried but Fox coverage raised cost of ignoring
GAO estimates $100-135B in UI fraud alone; DOJ charged thousands; some schemes involved organized fraud rings, though 'immigrant networks' link is narrower than stated.
We got grief over questioning COVID virus origins until we turned out right
Lab-leak hypothesis gained traction and is considered plausible by some agencies, but 2026 scientific consensus leans toward natural spillover; no definitive proof either way.
Fox covered crime victims while CNN denied there were any; first to take on woke identity politics, DEI
Violent crime rose sharply in 2020 (homicides +30%) amid protests and pandemic, then declined; many outlets did cover the spike, though emphasis on 'mostly peaceful' protests and downplaying of 2020-21 rises drew criticism.
Notable Concerns
- Overstates consensus on COVID lab-leak as settled 'we turned out right' when evidence remains circumstantial and contested
- Presents Fox as the sole early voice on multiple issues, omitting earlier coverage by other outlets and think tanks
- Broad claims about media ignoring crime victims and 'denying' issues lack specific sourcing and ignore post-2022 declines
Sources Consulted
- Nationwide Encounters Fiscal Year 2025 - CBP
- In 2025, encounters with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border fell to their lowest level since 1970 - Pew Research Center
- Unemployment Insurance: Estimated Amount of Fraud During Pandemic Likely Between $100 Billion and $135 Billion - GAO
- Hospitals Shut Youth Gender Clinics in Deal with Trump Administration - The New York Times
- Here Are the 3rd Quarter of 2026 Cable News Ratings - Adweek
- The Lab Leak Theory: What the Evidence Shows - Biology Insights
- Crime Stats Still Show a Decline Since 2020 - FactCheck.org
- COVID-19 Relief: Consequences of Fraud and Lessons for Prevention - GAO