Fox News anchor Shannon Bream said she was forced to retreat from her planned live broadcast at the Supreme Court building Monday night because she "felt threatened" and didn't think she would be safe.
President Donald Trump announced his nomination of D.C. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on Monday; if confirmed, Kavanaugh will fill the seat of retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Before Trump had even announced his pick, a crowd of protesters gathered at the Supreme Court building in Washington to express their opposition to whomever was selected.
Bream, who anchors "Fox News @ Night" at 11 p.m. EST on weeknights, reported live from the Supreme Court building for most of the day on Monday, up through the 9 p.m. hour when Trump announced Kavanaugh as his selection.
However, at 9:30 p.m., shortly after she had spoken with Sean Hannity about the Kavanaugh pick, she tweeted she felt "threatened" and later said she was returning to the studio. Fox News reported protesters were screaming at one another, and the majority of those present were left-leaning and holding signs like "Protect Roe" and "Don’t Criminalize Abortion."
"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.
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.
— Shannon Bream (@ShannonBream) July 10, 2018
Less than an hour later, she tweeted, "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
The Heritage Foundation's Lyndsey Fifield tweeted men were shouting at Bream and calling her a "blonde bimbo."
White men screaming at @ShannonBream that she is a "blonde bimbo" outside #SCOTUS
You hardly have to scratch the surface to see leftists sexism on display.
— Lyndsey Fifield (@lyndseyfifield) July 10, 2018
In the studio, Bream spoke with Republican Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.), who is frequently critical of Trump but strongly praised his nomination of Kavanaugh. Sasse noted he expected to conduct his interview with Bream on the Supreme Court steps.
"You and I were supposed to be doing our interview on the steps of the Court tonight," Sasse said.
"It got a little too rowdy out there at the Court tonight," Bream said.
Bream later said she didn't think it would have been safe to broadcast from the Court steps and asked Sasse what that meant for the country's political situation.
"It got so volatile at points that we ultimately didn't feel like it would be safe to do an hour of live television out there. Where are we?" Bream asked.
Sasse said he would like to see people on the left try to bring about progressive policy goals through persuading voters, not through the judiciary.