How The January 6 Committee Used Fox News Against Donald Trump
Everyone knows that Donald Trump is a devotee of Fox News. During his presidency, he would regularly live tweet his favorite shows and viewed prime-time hosts like Sean Hannity as de facto advisers to his White House.
On Thursday night, the January 6 committee used the former Presidents viewing habits against him, making a compelling case that Trump had to know about the violence happening at the US Capitol on that fateful day.
Virginia Rep. Elaine Luria, a Democrat, said that witnesses had told the committee that Trump had Fox News on in the White House dining room where he spent much of the afternoon of January 6, 2021.
Luria and Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who alternated laying out what Trump was doing on the afternoon of January 6, repeatedly played clips of what was airing on Fox News at the time. And repeatedly, those clips showed Fox News anchors making clear that the initial protest was turning violent as early as the 2 p.m. Eastern hour.
At one point, the committee showed a layout of the White House, complete with a TV showing exactly what was on Fox News at the time Trump would be watching.
The committee also displayed texts between then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and the likes of Hannity and fellow Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham, who urged Meadows to tell Trump to issue a statement telling the crowd to go home.
Fox News Doesnt Carry Trump Rallies Live Anymore Hes Got To Be Very Unhappy About It
When former president Donald Trump began speaking at a boisterous rally Saturday night in Conroe, Tex., his favorite cable news channel did not show it. Viewers tuned in to Fox News at that hour were instead greeted with a six-day-old clip from CNNs media commentary program.
Fox also chose not to broadcast Trumps first big speech of 2022, at a Jan. 15 rally in Arizona, even though a reporter for the network later described it as his first stump speech of a possible 2024 campaign.
As Trump appears likely to run for president again, his supporters can no longer turn to Fox News Channel for live coverage of his latest speeches, as they generally could during his 2016 campaign, presidency and reelection campaign. Instead, viewers have to rely on one of the conservative channels hoping to outflank Fox from the right, such as Newsmax, One America News or the online outlet Right Side Broadcasting Network.
Its the latest sign that Fox is becoming more selective about how it covers Trump after years during which the network bragged about the ratings for its live rally coverage and even chided rival networks for not carrying some events. Prime-time hosts such as Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham even served as informal advisers to Trump during his presidency.
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But they will ultimately follow their audience, Sykes added. And he thinks that audience wants more Trump.
Fox News Once Home To Trump Now Often Ignores Him
The former president hasnt been interviewed on the Rupert Murdoch-owned cable network in more than 100 days, and other Republicans often get the attention he once did.
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Its been more than 100 days since Donald J. Trump was interviewed on Fox News.
The network, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch and boosted Mr. Trumps ascension from real estate developer and reality television star to the White House, is now often bypassing him in favor of showcasing other Republicans.
In the former presidents view, according to two people who have spoken to him recently, Foxs ignoring him is an affront far worse than running stories and commentary that he has complained are too negative. The network is effectively displacing him from his favorite spot: the center of the news cycle.
When Mr. Trump spoke to a gathering of conservatives in Washington this week, Fox did not air the speech live. It instead showed a few clips after he was done speaking. That same day, it did broadcast live for 17 minutes a speech by former Vice President Mike Pence.
Mr. Trump has complained recently to aides that even Sean Hannity, his friend of 20 years, doesnt seem to be paying him much attention anymore, one person who spoke to him recalled.
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Unite The Right Rally In Charlottesville
Fox News hosts and contributors defended Trump’s remarks that “many sides” were to blame for violence at a gathering of hundreds of white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia. Some criticized Trump. In a press conference on August 15, Trump used the term “alt-left” to describe counterprotesters at the white supremacist rally, a term which had been used in Fox News’ coverage of the white supremacist rally. Several of Trump’s comments at the press conference mirrored those appearing earlier on Fox News.
According to Dylan Byers of CNN, Fox News’ coverage on the day of the press conference “was heavy with “whataboutism“. The average Fox viewer was likely left with the impression that the media’s criticism of Trump and leftist protestors’ toppling of some Confederate statues were far greater threats to America than white supremacism or the president’s apparent defense of bigotry.” Byers wrote “it showed that if Fox News has a line when it comes to Trump’s presidency, it was not crossed on Tuesday.”
Coverage Of Russia Investigation
On October 30, 2017, when special counsel Robert Mueller indicted Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, and revealed George Papadopoulos had pleaded guilty , this was the focus of most media’s coverage, except Fox News’. Hosts and guests on Fox News called for Mueller to be fired. Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson focused their shows on unsubstantiated allegations that Clinton sold uranium to Russia in exchange for donations to the Clinton Foundation and on the Clinton campaign’s role in funding the Steele dossier. Hannity asserted: “The very thing they are accusing President Trump of doing, they did it themselves.” During the segment, Hannity mistakenly referred to Clinton as President Clinton. Fox News dedicated extensive coverage to the uranium story, which Democrats said was an attempt to distract from Mueller’s intensifying investigation. CNN described the coverage as “a tour de force in deflection and dismissal”. On October 31, CNN reported Fox News employees were dissatisfied with their outlet’s coverage of the Russia investigation, with employees calling it an “embarrassment”, “laughable”, and saying it “does the viewer a huge disservice and further divides the country” and that it is “another blow to journalists at Fox who come in every day wanting to cover the news in a fair and objective way”.
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People In The Murdoch Family Dont Speak To Each Other Partly Over The Issue Of Fox News And Donald Trump Author Tells Cnn
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Michael Wolff, the man behind three books about the Trump administration, told CNN that Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch hates Donald Trump but loves the money the former president brings his cable news channel.
CNNs Brian Stelter asked Wolff on Sunday why Fox News is still so attached to Mr Trump if Mr Murduch despises him.
I think that there are two worlds going on here, Wolff said. Theres Rupert Murdochs world, which is all-powerful, but its actually not quite all-powerful.
The author added that the Fox News network has moved its business model to an old Trump model.
Thats where the money comes from Would Rupert Murdoch have an alternative to that, that would supply that much money? Rupert hates Donald Trump, hates him, but Rupert loves money. Those are two warring things.
One Of Trumps Closest Fox News Allies Tries To Help Him
When it comes to Donald Trumps legal troubles, Sean Hannity is not just another Republican player. On the contrary, the Fox News host has an insiders perspective precisely because hes long been a member of the former presidents inner circle.
When former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows Jan. 6 texts reached the public, for example, there were extensive communications that made it seem as if Hannity was effectively, if not literally, a member of the then-presidents political advisory team. The host had Trumps interest at heart, and he appeared practically desperate to lend a hand.
More than 20 months later, Hannity still wants to help his Republican ally. Its just not going especially well.
This week, the host aired a segment that presented Trump as a good and honorable leader whos being harassed by rascally opponents who should just leave the poor guy alone. To bolster the point, Hannity showed viewers a lengthy list of investigations surrounding the former president.
There was, however, a rather important problem with the list: It was a little too good. As a Washington Post analysis explained:
Quite right. The Fox News host wanted to give the impression that the long list was proof of harassment. Viewers were supposed to see it and think, Wow, those darned investigators sure have bothered Trump a whole lot.
The list included investigations into:
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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 a string of anti-Trump ads due to run on the network
Donald Trumps 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.
just doesnt get whats 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 wouldnt let @FoxNews participate, even a little bit, in the poor ratings Democrat Debates.
Trump 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 , are angry. They want an alternative now. So do I!
This is our president.
The Presidents Role In And Reaction To The Assault On The Capitol Has Soured Stuart Varney Brit Hume And Others Who Once Favored Him
Over the last four years, President Trump has relied on Fox News as a bastion of support and encouragement even as he occasionally faced tougher assessments from news-side anchors like Shepard Smith or Chris Wallace.
Days after Joe Bidens election victory, two of Trumps Fox friends said he should run again in 2024. Of course he should run in 2024, Pete Hegseth said. This is not the last you heard of President Trump, declared Geraldo Rivera.
But for some of the presidents fans on Fox, the events of Wednesday afternoon seem to have changed the calculation. Boosters like business host Stuart Varney, who once claimed that Trump has never lied, said the pro-Trump mobbing of the U.S. Capitol that left four people dead signaled the end of his political viability.
He cannot come back from this, Varney told viewers on Thursday. I think President Trump, Donald J. Trump, is done, politically.
When Varneys guest, American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp, argued that we have to get through this moment before we understand what the political consequences are, Varney replied, I think the political consequences are beginning to unfold. I think the president is tarred with the brush of Wednesday, January the 6th. I think the support for the president, within the Republican Party and the administration, is crumbling.
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Trump As A Manageable Risk
At his core, Mr. Ailes was two things that made him think someone like Mr. Trump was a manageable risk: deeply motivated by growing the size of the Fox audience and the attendant profits that would fatten his annual bonus and an establishment Republican who, as G.O.P. strategist, had helped elect Nixon, Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
He was no different from the transactionally minded Republican leaders in Congress who looked at the energized group of voters in the Tea Party and thought: This is going to be good for business. Christopher Ruddy, the chief executive of Newsmax, recalled speaking with Mr. Ailes about the budding new political movement on the right which would be good for both mens bottom lines and said that while Mr. Ailes liked the movements use of patriotic language and its rebellious spirit, he ultimately saw them as a convenient grass-roots group.
Mr. Trump, Mr. Beck and Ms. Palin three new Fox stars initially delivered what Mr. Ailes was looking for: compelling television, good ratings and content viewers could find nowhere else. All three also ended up growing into big enough political celebrities in their own right one more popular and entitled than the next that Mr. Ailes eventually lost his ability to control them.
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Former Fox News contributors Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes the network last week. The two have long been concerned over former President Donald Trump falsely claiming the 2020 election was stolen. The publication of Tucker Carlsons falsehood-filledPatriot Purge on Fox Nation, about January 6, was the last straw.
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Donald Trump And Fox News Have An On
Donald Trump supporters have also begun to lash out at Fox News, as well as Trump’s own administration, for announcing Biden’s state victories. Protestors were spotted in Phoenix, Ariz. chanting “Fox News sucks!” while Trump fans in Detroit, Mich. shouted “stop the count” outside of a polling location, reported The Guardian.
This isn’t the first time Trump and his supporters have slammed Fox News, despite the network’s reputation for fiercely defending his time in office. In the throes of Trump’s impeachment trial in January 2020, he took aim at the conservative channel. “Really pathetic how @FoxNews is trying to be so politically correct by loading the airwaves with Democrats like Chris Van Hollen, the no name Senator from Maryland. He has been on forever playing up the Impeachment Hoax. Dems wouldn’t even give Fox their low ratings debates …,” Trump tweeted at the time.
Trump has also lobbed insults at specific Fox News correspondents, by suggesting they should work at one of his least favorite news networks. “So, what the hell has happened to @FoxNews Only I know! Chris Wallace and others should be on Fake News CNN or MSDNC…” he tweeted. “Watch, this will be the beginning of the end for Fox, just like the other two which are dying in the ratings. Social Media is great!”
Only time will tell if Trump and Fox News get back on good terms.
The Secret History Of Kimberly Guilfoyles Departure From Fox
Save this story for later.
As President Donald Trump heads into the 2020 elections, he faces a daunting gender gap: according to a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, he trails Joe Biden by thirty percentage points among female voters. As part of his campaign, Trump has been doing all he can to showcase female stars in the Republican Party, from nominating Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court to naming Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former Fox News host and legal analyst, his campaigns finance chair. Guilfoyle, however, may not be an ideal emissary. In November, 2018, a young woman who had been one of Guilfoyles assistants at Fox News sent company executives a confidential, forty-two-page draft complaint that accused Guilfoyle of repeated sexual harassment, and demanded monetary relief. The document, which resulted in a multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement, raises serious questions about Guilfoyles fitness as a character witness for Trump, let alone as a top campaign official.
Until now, the specific accusations against Guilfoyle have remained largely hidden. The draft complaint, which was never filed in court, is covered by a nondisclosure agreement. The former assistant has not been publicly identified, and, out of respect for the rights of alleged victims of sexual harassment, The New Yorker is honoring her confidentiality. Reached for comment, she said, I wish you well. But I have nothing to say.
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Has The Love Affair Between Trump And Fox News Gone Sour
The rightwing channel has not covered its former sweetheart with its regular fervour could a billion-dollar lawsuit be why?
For years, Donald Trump and Fox News were smitten.
The former president would call into the rightwing news channel seemingly whenever he liked. Fox News hosts pumped up every Trump utterance. Trump watched the channel religiously, and in 2019 alone he sent 657 tweets in response to Fox News or Fox Business programs.
Since then, however, things appear to have changed. Trump, as the New York Times has pointed out, has not been interviewed on Fox News for more than 100 days.
A recent Trump speech was largely ignored by the network, and in a sign that Fox News has recognized alternative Republican presidential candidates are available, a Mike Pence address was broadcast live, in its entirety.
With the news channel embroiled in a billion-dollar lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems over its claims the voting machine company tampered with the 2020 election, Trumps continuing lies about election fraud seem to have rattled Rupert Murdoch, the media titan who owns Fox News.
Two of Murdochs newspapers, the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal, published scathing editorials on Trump in July, the former calling the twice-impeached 45th president unworthy to be this countrys chief executive again and the latter branding Trump The President Who Stood Still on January 6.
There are other people in the audience that they care about.
