Trump v Fox News: why the president is furious at
the conservative network
The president attacked Fox News and accused it of
being ‘fed Democratic talking points’ – possibly over to a string of anti-Trump
ads due to run on the network
Adam
Gabbatt
@adamgabbatt
Wed 29 Apr
2020 10.30 BSTLast modified on Wed 29 Apr 2020 10.31 BST
Donald
Trump’s longtime close relationship with Fox News, like so many other unions in
the time of lockdown, is beginning to buckle under pressure, with an
increasingly sensitive president furious at the conservative media channel.
Trump has
attacked the conservative channel in recent days, accusing the usually
uncritical network of being “fed Democratic talking points”, with some
observers suggesting his ire may have been caused in part by a string of
anti-Trump ads due to run on Fox News this week.
The
breakdown between president and news channel was laid bare in a string of
tweets from Trump on Sunday evening. Trump has occasionally criticized Fox News
in recent months, but this attack went further, as Trump declared he wants “an
alternative now”.
“[Fox News]
just doesn’t get what’s happening! They are being fed Democrat talking points,
and they play them without hesitation or research,” he tweeted.
“They
forgot that Fake News @CNN & MSDNC [a term Trump has used for MSNBC]
wouldn’t let @FoxNews participate, even a little bit, in the poor ratings
Democrat Debates.”
Trump
president continued his criticism by attacking prominent Fox News personalities
including the Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, before concluding: “The
people who are watching @FoxNews, in record numbers (thank you President
Trump), are angry. They want an alternative now. So do I!”
Trump did
not give a specific reason for his upset, but it could be linked to a critical
advert a group of anti-Trump Republicans are running on Fox News this week.
Republicans for the Rule of Law, a group opposed to the president, paid for an
ad spot during Fox & Friends – one of Trump’s favorite shows – which
highlights his response to the coronavirus.
“50,000
people have died,” reads capitalized text at the start of the advert.
“This is
our president.”
The advert
then cuts to Trump musing about the potential ability of “very powerful light”
in curing coronavirus. The advert ends with the words “Unfit, unwell,
unacceptable” appearing on screen.
Despite
Trump’s objections and insults, Fox News has remained largely supportive of his
administration and performance during the coronavirus outbreak.
After Trump
suggested the possibility of injecting coronavirus patients with disinfectant,
Fox News’ website billed the ensuing criticism as a matter of “twisted words”.
Hosts Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity have praised Trump’s performance, with
the latter suggesting: “New York would be dead without Donald Trump’s help.”
The
Trump-Fox fracture comes as the profile of One America News Network (OANN), a
news outlet which has repeatedly pushed conspiracy theories and is regarded as
even more rightwing than Fox News, continues to rise. In early April the then
White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, personally invited an OANN
reporter to a coronavirus briefing. The same reporter has been called on
repeatedly by Trump to ask questions – frequently questions that tee Trump up
to praise his own performance – at the briefings.
On Monday
it was reported that Fox News had also cut ties with Diamond and Silk, two
outspoken Trump supporters who have peddled misinformation about the
coronavirus. The booting of the influential pair, whose loyalty has won
repeated praise from Trump, is unlikely to have pleased the president.
If the
Trump-Fox News rift proves to be permanent, it could have a substantial impact
on Trump’s public statements, given he has repeatedly been guided by Fox News
on his reactions to crises and policies. As recently as mid-April, Trump
tweeted messages of support for anti-stay-at-home protesters just two minutes
after Fox News ran a favorable segment on the protests.
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