Geraldo Rivera exploded on Dan Bongino on Fox News Wednesday night as the two continued to clash about policing in America following the death of Daunte Wright.
The veteran newsman, 77, lost his cool about 8 minutes into the already tense back-and-forth, when Bongino, a conservative radio host, accused him of pumping out “a race narrative.”
“You just want to see the country burn,” Bongino sniped on “Hannity,” according to a clip on Mediaite.
“I want to see the country burn? You son of a bitch!” Rivera erupted. “I want to see the country? You punk! You’re nothing but a punk!”
The commentators talked over each other during the chaotic segment, trading barbs along the way.
“I know more than you! What do you know?” Rivera said, as he noted his thousands of hours covering policing issues. “What, did you have a 10-minute career as a cop? You’ve been running for office for the last 20 years.”
Bongino, who served in both the NYPD and Secret Service before several failed attempts at running for Congress as a Republican, shot back, “Geraldo, take a Valium. You really got to pipe down. My gosh, you’re a 70-year-old man!”
The fiery back-and-forth was a continuation of Monday night, when the two were at each other’s throats after Rivera called Wright’s killing “an act of grotesque negligence.”
“There’s a situation in this country now where, I swear to God and I’m speaking with deep experience, too many Black mothers are more fearful of the police that they are of crooks when their sons go out,” Rivera said Monday. “A 20-year-old should not end up dead because of an expired registration.”
Bongino said Rivera, who hosted his popular talk show “Geraldo” from 1987 to 1998, was basing his experience on going to dinner with a police captain — prompting the longtime reporter to shout back, “Don’t start minimizing my experience!”
On Wednesday night, Bongino told Rivera he should eat a “little bit of humble pie.”
“You just know what you’ve reported on,” he said. “I don’t pretend to be a journalist, I’m an opinion-maker. Stop pretending to be a cop.”
