"I don't understand."
Tangled Web
In an attempt to dunk on President Joe Biden, Fox News host Laura Ingraham was forced to correct herself on-air when she learned that the James Webb Space Telescope does, in fact, exist.
As highlighted by extremism researcher Andrew Lawrence, the embarrassing exchange was spurred on by an entirely different topic as Ingraham and guest Raymond Arroyo discussed Biden's new executive order on artificial intelligence.
While cutting jokes about the president's own intelligence — a common smear against the president, who some conservatives believe is secretly senile — the host actually began to interrupt her guest as he claimed Biden's AI order "stymies American innovation" to take a potshot that, as it turns out, was based on her own ignorance.
"Did he call it the 'web telescope?'" Ingraham asked, looking puzzled. "Isn’t it the Hubble? Is he thinking of 'Webb-Hubble?' I don’t understand."
For the record: the James Webb Space Telescope, which very much exists, is much more advanced than the Hubble, and was launched nearly two years ago on Christmas Day 2021.
when youre on national tv and make fun of joe biden for calling the hubble telescope the web telescope and are doubled over with how funny it is without realizing theres a very famous james webb telescope pic.twitter.com/Ucijcx7Ijd
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) October 31, 2023
Let the Record Show
As the extended clip of the fumble posted by The Daily Beast shows, Ingraham proceeded to literally lean back with laughter while Arroyo joined in on the fun, responding with a triumphant "who knows?" as the pair cracked up over the president's supposed flub. The producers then cut to a clip of Vice President Kamala Harris — and in those few seconds off-camera, Ingraham was apparently informed of her factual error.
"There is a Webb telescope that I didn't know about," the host said, still laughing. "I stand corrected by Joe Biden."
"That may be the first and only time that ever happened," Arroyo, who clearly did not want to miss out on the wandering punchline, quipped back.
It's hard to tell which is more ironic: that a pair of Fox News talking heads who were complaining about the president tamping down American innovation were apparently unaware of one of the country's biggest and most innovative space project since we landed on the Moon, or that while trying to make fun of the president's intelligence, Ingraham revealed her own lack thereof.
Either way, the whole thing is hilariously cringe. And the best part, to our minds, is that on-air correction that's missing from the original viral clip of the video.
More on Webb: James Webb Spots Numerous Pairs of Planets, Hanging Out With No Stars
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