Fox News host Pete Hegseth praises New Jersey lockdown protest as 'responsible civil disobedience' and hypes 'showdown' with police

• Fox News sent conservative opinion host Pete Hegseth to Bellmawr, New Jersey on Monday morning to cover a gym that reopened in violation of the state's lockdown order.
• Hegseth called the protest "pretty much the definition of responsible civil disobedience," despite the fact that many protesters gathered without face masks and stood near one another.
• The host, an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, has previously urged "healthy people" to "have some courage" and attempt to contract the coronavirus in order to build "herd immunity."
• New Jersey is second only to New York in coronavirus infections and deaths, with more than 146,000 confirmed covid-19 cases and over 10,000 deaths.
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Fox News sent conservative opinion host Pete Hegseth to Bellmawr, New Jersey on Monday morning to cover a gym that reopened in violation of the state's lockdown order, which attracted a protest and potential confrontation with law enforcement.

Hegseth, an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump who ran for a Minnesota Senate seat in 2012, has previously urged "healthy people" to "have some courage" and attempt to contract the coronavirus in order to build "herd immunity."

"The governor can say the state is closed, but if we the people say the state is open, then ultimately there's not a lot you can do if every business steps out," Hegseth said while surrounded by protesters outside Atilis Gym on Monday. "That's pretty much the definition of responsible civil disobedience."

Many of the protesters, including Trump supporters, violated social distancing requirements as they gathered in the parking lot outside the gym and stood near each other without face masks on. The gym's owner insisted he could keep his gym safe by taking precautions, including placing machines six feet apart and sanitizing equipment.

Hegseth's live reporting from the protest was featured on Fox's morning opinion show, "Fox and Friends," and on its straight news show, "America's Newsroom."

A Fox News spokesperson told Insider that America's Newsroom brought Hegseth on to the program as an opinion contributor, rather than a news reporter.

New Jersey is second only to New York in coronavirus infections and deaths, with more than 146,000 confirmed covid-19 cases and over 10,000 deaths as of Monday. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, has begun a limited reopening of his state, but has not yet announced when non-essential businesses, including gyms, will be permitted to fully reopen.

Hegseth, who warned of a "looming confrontation" and potential "showdown" between the gym's supporters and law enforcement, later entered the gym and donned a mask. Police reportedly blocked off the roads leading to the gym and eventually informed the gym owner and protesters that they were violating the law.

"Police just showed up to @TheAtilisGym. Entire exchange was respectful," Hegseth tweeted. "The officer notified the gym they were "violating the Governor's order." Then said, "have a nice day" and walked away. The crowd roared. @GovMurphy blinked. #Freedom #ReOpenAmerica."

He added in another tweet that if the governor enforces his order and shuts the gym down "it's only about POWER," ignoring the public health implications of the gym's decision.

Hegseth has previously praised Americans across the country who are "denying ridiculous orders," including salon and bar owners who've kept their businesses open and pastors who've held in-person services in violation of state-wide stay-home orders.

Even as a slew of Fox's opinion hosts call for the country to quickly reopen, the Fox Corporation announced last week that workers will be required to telework for at least another month.

Experts say the US is a long way from an immunity rate that could protect the population and that attempting to achieve "herd immunity" would dramatically increase the already catastrophic death toll.

The US is currently the global epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, with almost 1.5 million confirmed cases and nearly 90,000 deaths.