Sean Hannity Takes Stage at Trump Rally After All

By Ted Johnson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Sean Hannity took the stage at President Trump’s final midterm election rally in Missouri, and called the media covering the event “fake news.”

“Promises made, promises kept,” Hannity told the crowd in Cape Girardeau, repeating one of the slogans Trump has used in the rallies he’s headlined across the country in advance of Tuesday’s vote.

On Sunday, the Trump campaign announced that Hannity and Rush Limbaugh would be “special guests” at the event. Fox News later said that Hannity would not be campaigning, but would do his show from the event and an interview with the president.

Hannity said on Twitter that he would not be “on stage campaigning with the President. I am covering the final rally for my show. Something I have done in every election in the past.”

After Trump took the stage to a thunderous applause that lasted several minutes, he said that he wanted to bring to the stage a few personalities who have “done an incredible job for us.” He called Hannity to come up and give a few remarks.

Hannity took the stage and said, “By the way, all those people in the back are fake news.” He was referring to the journalists gathered to cover the event.

Hannity said that he “had no idea” he would be called to the stage, having just interviewed Trump for his show in what turned out to be a fawning conversation. On stage, he recited some of Trump’s accomplishments since taking office, something he also did in the “Opening Monologue” segment of his show.

According to Jordan Fabian of The Hill, who was the pool reporter at the event, Bill Shine, the White House deputy chief of staff for communications, high-fived Hannity as they stood in a buffer zone area to watch the president speak. Shine is the former top executive at Fox News who worked closely with Hannity.

Hannity in 2016 appeared in a promotional video for the Trump campaign, but Fox News at the time issued a statement saying that they were not aware of it and that he would not appear in any more through the remainder of the election.

Trump also called another Fox News personality, Jeanine Pirro, to the stage, and she also talked about the strong economy.

Limbaugh, a native of Cape Girardeau, Mo., where the rally was being held, pushed back on the idea that Trump and other personalities who support him were being divisive. “We’re not divisive. We are defending an America that has strayed from our founding.”

He said that Hillary Clinton “colluded with Russia. Hillary Clinton rigged that election.” The elicited chants of, “Lock her up!”

Trump predicted that the midterm results would be a surprise in favor of Republicans, noting the size of the rally crowds he has generated. “There’s something happening out there folks,” he said.