Fox News host Sean Hannity’s talking points about Congress voting to raise the debt ceiling have shifted dramatically depending on which party is in power in Washington.
Recently, Hannity has argued that Republicans should allow a government shutdown rather than work in a bipartisan manner to pass legislation to raise the debt ceiling under President Joe Biden, claiming that “you cannot call yourself a conservative or even a Republican and work in conjunction with Democrats” and saying the GOP should not “lift a finger to help them raise the debt limit."
In stark contrast to these remarks, Hannity repeatedly praised former President Donald Trump’s deal-making prowess during his administration because he was able to incrementally raise the debt ceiling with bipartisan support. Clearly, Hannity shifts his rhetoric on the debt ceiling to serve conservative narratives without a care for bipartisanship, and he will gleefully weaponize government shutdowns in service of obstructionism.