Fox News Compares Donald Trump to King Kong

Fox News host Jesse Watters has compared Donald Trump to "King Kong" while discussing the former president's alleged violation of a gag order in his Stormy Daniels hush money criminal trial.

"They trapped him in a cage, we call it a courtroom, but it's a cage, and he's like King Kong," Watters said, adding: "Boom, it's not going to be good."

Trump is battling charges of falsifying business records, allegedly to cover hush money payments to Daniels prior to the 2016 general election.

The adult film star claims to have had a one-night stand with Trump in 2006. The business mogul denies both the affair with Daniels and the charges against him, claiming they are all part of a political witch hunt.

Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the trial at Manhattan Criminal Court, is considering prosecutors' requests to fine Trump, after the 77-year-old allegedly violated a gag order banning him from publicly talking about people involved in the case.

On Saturday's Fox News talk show The Five, Watters compared the former president's criminal trial to the King Kong movies.

In the original 1933 adventure-horror film, the giant gorilla is captured on his island home and taken to New York, where he is caged as an attraction. After being startled by flashbulbs from reporters, Kong escapes and rampages throughout Manhattan, dying after falling from the Empire State Building.

"They trapped him in a cage, we call it a courtroom, but it's a cage, and he's like King Kong," Watters said, before hitting out at MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, accusing the journalist of gawping at Trump and "not providing any sort of legal analysis."

"She's looking at him like an animal, and she's like, 'Oh man, his hair is really orange,'" he continued. "Ah, look at his eyes, look at his lips, he's angry, he's mad, he's upset.' Watching him."

Watters also blasted MSNBC reporter Joy Reid for "acting like he is a zoo creature."

"What happens with King Kong," Watters added. "Boom, it's not going to be good.

"He's going to bust out of this cage eventually, they're not going to be able to keep him down."

However, former congressman Harold Ford Jr chimed in to remind Watters, "They killed King Kong."

"I don't think I saw the end of that movie," Watters joked. Newsweek has reached out to Donald Trump, Jesse Watters, Joy Reid and Rachel Maddow for comment via email.

The discussion went viral after being shared to X, formerly Twitter, by user Acyn on Wednesday. The snippet received over 630,000 views in less than 24 hours. Users were divided on Watters' King Kong comparison.

"I don't think Trump would appreciate being compared to King Kong," commented Chidi.

"Watters really thinks he's the sharpest tool in the shed but kudos for Harold for checking him on that," said ARomano.

"If he's struggling to sit in a courtroom all day, I'm not sure he's the guy who should be sitting down with world leaders," wrote Matt.

"When you are indicted you go to court," said SarahCA. "Moral of the story: Don't get indicted."

Watters is a long-time supporter of Trump. On Friday, Donald Trump's estranged niece Mary Trump slammed the host for claiming "undercover liberal activists lying to the judge" on The Five, accusing the 45-year-old of "disturbing" interference.

Watters has also hit out at Trump's rival Joe Biden. Trump and Biden are the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees in November's general election, after landing enough delegate votes in the presidential primaries.

In February, Watters mocked the President's guest spot on Late Night with Seth Meyers, in which he visited a New York ice cream parlor.

"You know who lights up for ice cream? Children and the elderly. There's a reason caregivers deliver ice cream to their patients in nursing homes," Watters said on Fox News, suggesting the 81-year-old is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Critics have extensively targeted Biden's age, with a recent poll conducted by Redfield and Wilton Strategies on behalf of Newsweek finding that 61 percent of American voters believe the politician is "too old to seek a second term as president."