Fox News host Jesse Watters sparked controversy on Thursday by suggesting that Black people should prioritize having more children if they want increased representation in Congress. During an episode of The Five, Watters remarked, "I did some research on the Blacks, as Judge Jeanine so eloquently would say, the solution to [House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s] problem, this gay Obama, is baby making." He continued, "Blacks, for 150 years, have only represented 10 to 15 percent of the American population, OK? That’s not that much. So if they wanna have more seats, they gotta get in between the sheets."
Context of the comments
Watters’ statements came in response to Democratic outrage over Republican-led efforts to redraw congressional districts through gerrymandering. President Donald Trump has urged Republican-controlled states to redraw maps to favor Republicans, a move that could help them gain seats in upcoming elections. A recent Supreme Court ruling has further enabled this by weakening Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which previously prohibited racial gerrymandering unless intentional discrimination is proven.
Reactions on The Five
Co-host Greg Gutfeld criticized Democrats for what he called politically motivated redistricting, while former Congressman Harold Ford Jr., who is Black, pushed back. Ford argued, "I’m not arguing for more Black congressmen. I’m arguing, just don’t draw districts that advantage a party." Watters retorted, "No, you’re just discriminating against whites. That was an all-Black district; we want to be in that district." Ford condemned Trump for breaking precedent by ordering mid-decade redistricting, rather than waiting for the next Census.
Impact of redistricting proposals
In Florida, a proposed map would reduce Democratic-held districts from seven to four, while Tennessee’s plan would eliminate its only Democratic-led district and make a semi-conservative district even more Republican. Ford noted, "One of the districts they just re-drew in Tennessee, that was my old congressional district. I’m not crying about it. But I’ll tell you this, you better be a grown-up when Democrats do the same thing as Republicans." Before the Supreme Court ruling, such maps would have faced legal challenges under the Voting Rights Act, but now states have greater leeway to dilute minority voting power.
