Donald Trump is no longer popular with his favorite news channel, Fox News. It cannot be seen on the US channel for more than a hundred days. Instead, Fox News lists the other contenders for the Republican nomination in 2024.
Former President Trump has been a welcome guest at Fox in the past. Conversely, Trump made no secret of the fact that Fox was his favorite news channel. Hob was in stark contrast to his attacks on other media outlets, which he called fake news and the enemy of the people.
“Trump owes his presidency to Fox News. In 2011, he came weekly as a nominee on the station’s well-watched breakfast show,” says American expert Victor Flamm, author of the books. Donald Trump is not crazy And the Thinks like Donald Trump. Trump has had the opportunity to present himself as an opinion-maker and Republican candidate among Fox’s conservative supporters. Trump also appeared regularly on the channel during his presidency.
But now that love seems to have cooled off. For more than 100 days, Fox has not reported anything about Donald Trump. The last time the former president appeared on the news channel was on April 13. And it’s not because there was little to say about him: On July 22, for example, Trump held a rally in Arizona. But Fox ignored it: Airtime went to an interview with Florida Senator Ron DeSantis. Other Republican politicians, such as Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley, also get more attention from Fox.
You can’t make it more colorful
The main reason for the low interest in Donald Trump is the storming of the US Capitol on January 6 last year, and the investigation into the involvement of the former president continues.
“To the average citizen, it is quite clear that Trump then called for an uprising,” answers Willem Post, America expert and senior researcher at the Clingendael Institute. Trump says he has never been so hurt. “After your Capitol storming: You couldn’t be more vital as a president in a democracy.”
Therefore, Fox turned attention to other potential Republican presidential candidates. The most promising figure right now is Ron DeSantis, the important governor of Florida.
“Dream filter,” according to the post. “It’s Trump wars, conservative, rich, bigoted, intelligent, against vigilante culture, which is young.” DeSantis’ growing popularity is a thorn in Donald Trump’s side. “Trump is what made DeSantis great. His opponent was born,” Post said.
Alternative right-wing media
In addition to the storming of the Capitol, the recent elections also play a role in relationships. Both Trump and Republican voters were furious with Fox when the news channel announced Joe Biden as the winner of the crucial state of Arizona in 2020, an outcome Trump has yet to accept.
The relationship between Fox and Trump soured, and some Trumpists turned to alternatives to the right-wing media. In recent years, several alternatives to Fox News have emerged, such as OAN and Newsmax. Trump also has his own social media platform: the Truth Social.
“Fox is no longer as important as it was during the 2016 election, but the channel remains the most important voice on the right,” Victor Flamm says. “It’s not called the Fox News primary for nothing, the primary. If you’re good with your Fox host, you can get extra air time and extra interviews and they’ll follow your campaign. As a Republican, it’s important to have the right-wing media on your side.”
Media mogul Murdoch
Moreover, there also appears to be deception between Trump and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Their relationship has always been practical and functional, but it has also gone downhill. “The Murdochs don’t necessarily trust Trump much, they find him undisciplined and irritated by his autocratic tendencies,” Willem Post said.
Behind the scenes it is well known that the Murdoch family believes Trump went too far on January 6. “Media mogul appears like Murdoch: We can make a different sound from day to day. Lie with Fox The Wall Street Journal And the The New York Post (also headlines from Murdoch’s media empire, editor), The home newspaper of businessman Trump. What they write about Trump is not true: He is untrustworthy and unfit to run America again.”
‘Don’t underestimate Trump’
Willem Post concludes that this is a bad sign if you lose Fox. Victor Flamm says the 100 days without Trump on Fox is indicative of a larger trend. People are curious where she’s heading, and whether Donald Trump is coming back. The fact that he won’t appear on Fox is an indication that there is room among the conservative grassroots for other candidates who are not called Trump.”
Willem Post still calls for caution. “Never underestimate the most talented populist of all time. This is what I vow to do.” Trump still leads the Republican nominee in the 2024 election. If this continues, Fox is pragmatic enough to give Trump time to air again, Post en Vlam predicts.
