Coulter repeated claim that New Yorkers “would immediately surrender” to terrorists

Video file

On the August 25 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter once again stated that residents of New York City “would immediately surrender” if terrorists invaded their city. Coulter added that she would “rather have them [terrorists] trying to invade Mississippi or Georgia, Alabama, you know, the states where I want [war critic] Cindy Sheehan's bus tour to go.”

Coulter made her comments in response to co-host Alan Colmes's questions about her August 10 syndicated column, in which she wrote:

As Republicans were saying repeatedly -- captured on Lexis-Nexis for a year before it showed up in a [Republican pollster] Frank Luntz talking-points memo in 2004 -- the savages have declared war, and it's far preferable to fight them in the streets of Baghdad than in the streets of New York (where the residents would immediately surrender). That strategy appears to be working. Then again, maybe it's just that it's so damnably hard to find parking in New York ...

[...]

But you will notice, the jihadists are not pouring across the Syrian border to, say, Brooklyn Heights. They are running to Iraq, where they run smack dab into the glorious U.S. military.

From the August 25 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

COLMES: And I want to ask you about something, Ann, that you wrote in your most recent column. You had a very funny line, actually, that it is hard to find a parking spot in New York City. There's no question about it. You've had a pretty good day if you can do that. But then you said, “It's far preferable to fight them on the streets of Baghdad than in the streets of New York (where the residents would immediately surrender).” Now, some New Yorkers felt that you were calling them cowards by making that statement.

COULTER: No, I think I was calling them supporters of Cindy Sheehan.

COLMES: Is that what that is? You certainly don't feel that New Yorkers are cowards?

COULTER: I think they would immediately surrender.

COLMES: So you do think that?

COULTER: I don't -- I don't think -- I think I'd rather have them trying to invade Mississippi or Georgia, Alabama, you know, the states where I want Cindy Sheehan's bus tour to go.

COLMES: I see.

[crosstalk]

ELLIS HENICAN (Fox News political analyst): Can I stand up for my adopted town for a second?

[crosstalk]

COLMES: Go ahead.

COULTER: Wait, could I just make an historical note?

COLMES: Yes, go ahead, Ann.

[crosstalk]

COULTER: When the Nazis landed in World War II, they did land in the Hamptons.

HENICAN: Ann, I know it's a tough town, not everybody can handle living here, but this is one very tough town. We stand up for whatever we have to. Don't worry about it.

[crosstalk]

COLMES: And we saw how tough we were on September 11.