Fox News’ Jesse Watters, Who Called to ‘Bomb’ U.N. Headquarters on Live TV, Apologized — But Not on Air

Fox News host Jesse Watters reportedly apologized after suggesting the United Nations’ New York headquarters should be “bombed” or “gassed” following what he described as inconveniences to President Donald Trump during the president’s recent U.N. visit.

U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Friday that Watters had privately apologized to U.N. global communications chief Melissa Fleming after the organization contacted Fox News about the violent remarks, Reuters reported.

“There is nothing funny or ironic in calling for the bombing, the gassing, the destruction of this building,” Dujarric told reporters, according to Reuters. “That kind of language is unacceptable.”

“We know painfully the reality of what happens when threats are made against the U.N. We lost friends in Baghdad. I personally walked through the rubble of the building in Algiers where the U.N. was bombed. Our colleagues in Abuja were also bombed,” he added.

Ahead of the president’s address at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Sept. 23, an escalator stopped shortly after he and First Lady Melania Trump stepped onto it, forcing them to ascend the remaining steps. While co-hosting The Five later that day, Watters accused U.N. staffers of “sabotaging” the escalator and of interfering with a teleprompter that went dark during Trump’s speech, calling the malfunctions “an insurrection.”

U.N. officials, however, said the escalator stoppage was triggered by a cameraman traveling with the American delegation, and that the White House was responsible for operating the teleprompter.

On The Five, Watters, 47, made the remarks that prompted the U.N. complaint. “What we need to do is either leave the U.N. or we need to bomb it,” he said, to laughter from colleagues. “[The U.N. headquarters] is in New York, though, right? Could be some fallout there. Maybe gas it?”

“Let’s not do that,” co-host Dana Perino, 53, interjected off camera.

“Don’t gas it. Okay, but we need to destroy it. Maybe can we demolish the building? Have everybody leave and then we’ll demolish the building,” Watters continued. “No, this is absolutely unacceptable, and I hope they get to the bottom of it, and I hope they really injure, emotionally, the people that did it.”

During his U.N. remarks that day, President Trump criticized the organization. “Empty words don’t solve wars… A bad escalator and a bad teleprompter is all I got from the United Nations,” he said. On immigration, he declared, “I’m really good at this stuff,” and warned attendees that “Your countries are going to hell.”