Bret Baier's Fox News crew was issued a ticket after cameras in Beijing caught them parked illegally while filming a segment about China's mass surveillance in the middle of a busy bike lane. The incident occurred during President Donald Trump's three-day state visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Baier's Segment and the Ticket
During his Special Report segment on Wednesday, Baier noted that there are cameras everywhere in Beijing, before admitting his crew had briefly parked illegally and was immediately ticketed. "Our driver parked illegally for two minutes and he got a message on his phone that he got a ticket for about 40 bucks U.S., because they saw it on the camera," Baier said.
Local Backlash
While Baier complained about the ticket, locals filmed him and his crew walking in the middle of a bustling bike lane. The clips were shared on Douyin (Chinese TikTok) and X by Chinese journalist Li Jingjing of CGTN. "While Fox News is complaining they got a ticket for illegal parking…this is what his team is doing: Beijing residents spotted this and uploaded it to Douyin: Fox News' Bret Baier filming IN THE MIDDLE of busy traffic," Jingjing wrote.
The video drew mockery and fierce backlash. One X user commented, "When you're a guest in another country, you don't get to ignore the rules and then criticize how things are run." Another wrote, "Fox News complains about a parking ticket while their reporter films in the middle of busy traffic in Beijing. Rules for thee, not for me."
Trump's Visit to China
The Fox News controversy comes as Trump meets with Xi Jinping. The two leaders discussed tensions over Taiwan, the war in Iran, and trade relations. Trump hailed the "special relationship" between the US and China and invited Xi and his wife to Washington for a state visit on September 24. This will be the Chinese leader's first visit to the White House in over a decade.
The Independent has contacted Fox News for comment.
