Fox hosts suggested adding a 51st star to the flag — not for the millions of people in the District of Columbia without voting representation in Congress, or for American citizens of Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands who are not even permitted to vote for president.

Instead, they are promoting, again, a secessionist effort within California.

Fox & Friends First hosted Mark Baird, the self-proclaimed leader of the “state of Jefferson.” Baird complained that California had elected a “monarchy.”

Later in the morning, Fox & Friends did a news read on Baird’s attempt, and in response Fox host Pete Hegseth declared, “I love it,” and host Steve Doocy said, “Gonna have to add an extra star to the flag.”

Fox didn’t mention that extremist and militia elements have been linked to this effort.

And needless to say, this is not how Fox hosts responded to calls to add Washington, D.C., or Puerto Rico (or other U.S. territories where citizens lack voting rights or representation in Congress) as states.

While there are certainly good faith discussions one can have about California’s governance, Fox isn’t really interested in any of them. Rather, the discussion was entirely focused on the fact that right-wing figures like Baird don’t have power, despite being outnumbered in the state. This has not historically been a concern of Fox in states led by Republican governors and legislatures; it was certainly not a concern of Fox when Republicans held the White House and both houses of Congress prior to the 2018 midterm elections.