Rep. Eric Swalwell joked Monday that he volunteered to appear on Fox News so he could speak indirectly to President Trump, who once told the California Democrat he recognized him from his interviews on the cable news network.
“That’s why I go on @FoxNews, to brief the President. And… it’s the only way my parents will see me on TV,” Swalwell tweeted.
That’s why I go on @FoxNews, to brief the President. And…it’s the only way my parents will see me on TV. ?♂️ https://t.co/5JnBfNLnQ3
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) December 3, 2018
The post from Swalwell, a potential 2020 contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, came in response to a tweet about his interview with the Daily Beast in which he said it is important for members of his party to make an effort to reach Fox News viewers to give them a more complete impression of their platform.
“I think you have to go into that arena absolutely,” Swalwell said, despite receiving death threats after appearances. “You’re not going to win all of them but you can win enough of them. That’s how I see it.”
There is an added advantage of appearing on Fox News and communicating with the Republicans who watch the channel, Swalwell explained, recounting an exchange he shared with Trump in 2017 shortly after his address to a joint session of Congress.
“I brought a letter to give to him from a Muslim constituent who had concerns about his Muslim ban,” he said. “And as I’m handing him the letter, he looks at me and goes, ‘I know who you are. I’ve seen you on TV.’”
