‘You’ve got to go easy on Trump’: Fox host scolds Jesse Watters for saying Trump didn’t do much to change Cracker Barrel logo
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade advised his colleague Jesse Watters “to go easy on Trump” after he claimed the president didn’t have much of a hand in Cracker Barrel’s decision to restore its logo, even after the commander-in-chief urged the company to do so.
The southern food chain’s decision to revamp its old-timey logo — featuring “Uncle Herschel” in overalls leaning against a barrel — was met with swift backlash from conservatives earlier this month, who accused the company of “going woke”.
Trump weighed in on the controversy Tuesday, encouraging the restaurant chain to restore its old logo in a Truth Social post. “Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again,” he wrote. Hours later, Cracker Barrel announced it wouldn’t go through with its rebrand — an emblem in signature orange color with just the restaurant’s name.
On Wednesday’s episode of The Five, Watters refused to give the president “credit” for the company’s decision to reverse course.
“I’m not giving Trump credit for this, I’m giving Fox credit,” the Fox News host said. “We covered this story for a week, and he watched it for a week, and then he basically, you know, hit the winning shot okay?”
“Mr. President, nice job, but come on, it was all us. All right? But think of the powerful combination of Fox and Trump. It’s the biggest one-two punch the world has ever seen,” Watters added.
Kilmeade then offered his colleague some “career advice.”
“You’ve got to go easy on Trump. A little too tough on him right there. I think, just back off,” he joked.
“Did I go to a nine?” Watters asked, chuckling.
“Yeah, you did. 9.8!” Kilmeade added. “I just don’t want you to plummet any further.”
Last year, Cracker Barrel’s CEO Julie Felss Masino announced the restaurant chain planned to rebrand to become more “relevant” after a post-pandemic slump.
In an August 18 press release, Cracker Barrel unveiled that it was revamping its original 1969 text-only logo, “which is now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all.”
MAGA became incensed over the move, accusing the restaurant chain of going “woke.” Conservative podcaster Benny Johnson called the new logo “absolutely horrible.” Florida Congressman Byron Donalds posted on X that“no one asked for this woke rebrand.”
Following the uproar, Cracker Barrel lost $94 million in value on the stock market in just one day, adding fuel on the MAGA firestorm.
