Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) challenged Fox News’s Greg Gutfeld to a bench press contest on Wednesday after Gutfeld mocked him on his show the prior night.
“Here’s a deal for @Gutfeldfox. (Never heard of him til he spent 8 mins criticizing what I bench press),” Swalwell said in a post on the social platform X, highlighted by Mediaite.
*The deal: if tough guy benches more than me for 10 reps I’ll leave Congress. If not, he leaves Fox News. I’ll give Greg 48 hrs to accept, then I’m calling him GUTLESSfeld,” he added.
On Gutfeld’s show the prior night, also highlighted by Mediaite, he played videos that Swalwell had posted of himself online doing athletic activities such as swimming, tossing a baseball and lifting. During the videos, Swalwell said that he “should be working right now.”
“I should be working right now. I should be at the Capitol. I should be in a suit. Instead, Republicans sent us home because they would rather stand up for Donald Trump than release the Epstein files and stand up for victims,” Swalwell said in one video he posted to X on Sunday.
“We could be in Washington, D.C., lowering your health care costs, lowering your grocery costs, and restoring your rights. I should be working right now. Instead, I’m pumping iron at the gym,” he added.
Gutfeld, while replying to the video of Swalwell lifting, said “With a bench press like that, no one will mind if you use the women’s locker room.”
The Hill has reached out to Fox News Media, the White House and the House Republican Conference for comment.
