Out Fox News anchor Shepard Smith has
described the organization that hosted President Donald Trump over
the weekend as homophobic.
Smith reported on the president's
appearance at the Values Voter Summit in a live segment that included
correspondent John Roberts from outside the White House.
During the segment, Smith acknowledged
that the group behind the annual gathering, the Family Research
Council (FRC), is a vocal opponent of LGBT rights and questioned the
president's decision to attend.
“President Trump became the first
sitting president to speak to the Values Voter Summit,” Smith said.
“That organization vilifies the LGBT community and declares gays a
danger to children. The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated
it a hate group.”
FRC President Tony Perkins, whom Trump
praised as a “tremendous guy” during his appearance, is a
frequent guest on Fox News.
(Related: At
Values Voter Summit, Trump praises DOJ guidance on “religious
freedom.”)
“What happened there and why did he
attend?” Smith asked Roberts.
“Well, it seems to be a pretty
appreciative crowd,” Roberts answered. “In his speech he
basically was jumping right into the culture wars, saying that he was
going to stop cold the attacks on Judeo-Christian values and he vowed
to restore moral clarity to the US view of the world. … He wanted
to recognize their support for him in the election campaign.”