Fox News Channel host Jesse Watters listened to radical activists for his new book, "Get It Together: Troubling Takes from the Liberal Fringe," and found that many are trying to solve personal problems by pushing far-left politics.
"We picked about two dozen of the wackiest fringe activists we could find, from people who want to empty prisons, open the borders, legalize drugs and prostitution, and topple statues. They poured their hearts out to me for hours, told me their deepest, darkest secrets, and I listened," Watters told Fox News Digital.
Watters, who said that he realized late in life that listening is an important concept, didn’t argue or push back against their viewpoints.
"I listened, and I determined that these people did not have rational belief systems. I wanted to find out why they believed what they believed, and it turns out it has nothing to do with logic, policy, or results. These people have personality disorders," Watters said.
"These are troubled individuals that have had dysfunctional childhoods, usually absent dads, abusive moms, drugs, sex abuse. And many people can get it together, but these people haven't been told to get it together. And so, they believe they don't have any problems. They believe society is the problem, so they need to change society, so they feel better," he continued. "They're making their problems our problems. So, we need to tell people, ‘Get it together.’"
FOX NEWS CHANNEL VIEWERSHIP THUMPS MSNBC, CNN COMBINED THROUGHOUT FEBRUARY
Watters, who hosts "Jesse Watters Primetime" and co-hosts "The Five," feels that many people are afraid to tell others to simply "get it together" because they don’t like to stigmatize, judge or come off as mean.
"It’s gotten out of control and people’s problems are now becoming our problems, and we need to shut that down before it’s too late," he said.
Watters, along with his assistant and some trusted producers, wrangled some of the far-left’s most radical activists. He said many were eager to share their stories, particularly when they were told it was a book project. While many of them were free spirits, one stood out as the most bizarre of the bunch.
"The man who identified as a wolf, this is a transgender individual who frolics in wolf reserves, nuzzles and kisses them, hugs them. Really believes spiritually he's a wolf emotionally, psychologically," Watters said.
Watters enjoyed his conversations with many of the individuals, but others – such as a woman who advocates for people to stop having children-- frustrated him. After speaking with the liberal activists, Watters believes many of them want to remake society but "really just need therapy."
"This is not something that they've read or a policy that they ascribe to because it makes sense, or it's better for the entire country. These are things they desire to do because they feel emotionally that it's proper, and they're either acting out their daddy issues, their revenge fantasies, their deep-seated desire for attention. And when they get out into the world, society tells them to ‘knock it off’ and they feel oppressed," Watters said.
"They feel like society is oppressing them. When the society's only saying, ‘This isn't really allowed,’ or, ‘This isn't really appropriate,’ it doesn't mean we're victimizing them," he continued. "It just means there are standards of behavior that have been acceptable for thousands of years, and we're not going to tolerate you acting out your childhood repressed issues because your problems are your problems. Please don't make them ours."
Watters said he has compassion for mental health, and wants everyone to live a healthy, happy life.
"When it impacts the rest of society, and when you try to remake society, so society has to accommodate your issues, that's when I get involved," he said. "We shouldn't be afraid to say, ‘That's a problem.’"
Watters is set to embark on a "Get It Together" tour, where fans can meet the Fox News host in person.
Watters will be at Books and Greetings in Northvale, New Jersey, on March 23, followed by The Little Point Bookshop in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, on March 24. He will visit Barnes & Noble in Fort Myers, Florida, on April 13, LBI Book Swap in Beach Haven, New Jersey, on April 20, Vero Beach Book Center in Vero Beach, Florida, on April 27, and The Richard Nixon Library & Museum in Yorba Linda, California, on May 25.
"The Five" has been the No. 1 show in cable news for nine consecutive quarters, while "Jesse Watters Primetime" is regularly among the most-watched programs on cable news and crushes its time slot competition on MSNBC and CNN. Watters’ previous book, "How I Saved the World," was a No. 1 New York Times bestseller and "Get It Together" is already on Amazon’s bestsellers list.
"It's an easy, fun, enlightening, enjoyable read. I hope everybody gets a kick out of it," Watters said.
"Get It Together: Troubling Takes from the Liberal Fringe" is available now.
