WASHINGTON, D.C., July 10, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – As Americans gathered in anticipation of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court announcement Monday evening, the crowd around the Supreme Court itself was reportedly so “volatile” that a Fox News anchor moved her crew back to the studio rather than cover it live.
Trump announced last night that he had chosen District of Columbia Circuit Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Anchor Shannon Bream had initially planned to broadcast live from outside the steps of the Supreme Court, Fox News reports, but decided to move her crew back to the studio after witnessing the intensity of the gathered protesters.
“Very few times I’ve felt threatened while out in the field. The mood here tonight is very volatile. Law enforcement appears to be closing down 1st Street in front of SCOTUS,” Bream tweeted Monday evening. “Literally had to bail on our live show from #SCOTUS. Moving the show back to the safety of the studio. See y’all at 11p.”
Literally had to bail on our live show from #SCOTUS. Moving the show back to the safety of the studio. See y’all at 11p @FoxNews https://t.co/ChIOQdBBTU
— Shannon Bream (@ShannonBream) July 10, 2018
“It got a little too rowdy out there at the court tonight,” she added later in the Fox studio, while interviewing Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse.
The evening reportedly saw protesters “screaming back and forth at each other” amid a “heavy law enforcement presence,” with anti-Trump activists chanting “Kavanaugh has got to go!” and brandishing “Protect Roe” and “Don’t Criminalize Abortion” signs.
We're rallying outside of the Supreme Court to reject Brett Kavanaugh, Trump's #SCOTUS pick who could wreak havoc on our health, rights, and communities for generations to come. pic.twitter.com/LmQya9tpeB
— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) July 10, 2018
“This is the fight for our lives.”#SaveSCOTUS pic.twitter.com/k9gjgHYvoj
— Elena Hung (@ElenaHung202) July 10, 2018
New York Democrat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Vermont socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders were also in attendance, apparently feeling safer long enough to address the crowd.
Pro-abortion and pro-homosexual activists have expressed fear and anger ever since Kennedy announced his retirement at the end of June over the prospect of a more conservative Supreme Court overturning its left-wing rulings on both issues.
The outraged reactions have included NARAL President Ilyse Hogue calling it a “moment of deep crisis” for the country, left-wing activist Rev. Al Sharpton claiming “all civil and human rights are at stake,” and Salon’s Chauncey Devega predicting, “Trump's Supreme Court will have their own version of the Dred Scott decision.”
Left-wing activism has ratcheted up in intensity in recent months, with several instances of both public officials and private citizens being harassed, threatened, or even harmed for supporting Trump. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was kicked out of a Virginia restaurant, and a Texas man was arrested for approaching a teenager and stealing his “Make America Great Again” hat.
Following the Sanders incident, Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters expressly called on leftists to harass off-duty Trump Cabinet officials. “We have protestors taking up at their house who are saying, ‘No peace, no sleep. No peace, no sleep,’” she said approvingly to a crowd of supporters.