The last one: Under the shadow of an emerging blue wave, Trump wrote a few minutes before midnight on Tuesday that “FoxNews (sic) bears responsibility for these losses by constantly and systematically attacking the Dumocrat opposition, and worse.”
- But he then participated in a live interview with Fox anchors into the early hours of Wednesday.
Driving the news: Trump began the evening by criticizing Fox co-host and Democratic strategist Jessica Tarlov, saying he would “go somewhere else” until she goes off the air.
- He reportedly went so far as to text his co-host, Greg Gutfeld, to complain.
- His anger then turned to Fox’s political polls, saying, “Every question is a hit, and every answer is ‘Bullshit!'” About a half hour later, he posted that Fox’s ratings were down “because they spend too much time covering deranged Trump Democrats!”
- Trump cited a “new CNN poll” as an alternative, touting data showing his strength among MAGA Republicans. But the two CNN poll segments he released earlier that night were both more than a month old.
State of play: The rocky relationship between Trump and Fox News has been a source of tension this election season and in previous elections.
- Fox’s coverage of Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has fueled tensions for months, Axios’ Alex Isenstadt recently reported. Republicans reportedly feared that Fox would undermine efforts to brand El-Sayed as far from the mainstream.
- In late October, Trump said Fox was “spending way too much time confronting OPPONENTS of Republican Party candidates, people who love our country and have good policies and good ideas.” He added: “That’s the only reason this race is close, if it is indeed close.”
- The White House and Fox did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
In the meantime, Trump’s former White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, now a Fox pundit, appeared on the network’s election night coverage and said she had just spoken with the president.
Reality check: Murdoch, although a conservative, has always been passionate about the news business.
- After all, Fox News sparked the ire of Trumpworld by calling Arizona earlier than expected for former President Biden in 2020.
Zoom: Fox News’ business imperative means focusing on long-term credibility rather than short-term access and audiences — which saw a decline last month in the run-up to the election.
- The decline in ratings could suggest that some Republican viewers opted out as pre-election polls pointed to possible Democratic gains. But for Trump, who tried to make this a referendum on his popularity, it’s personal.
Go further: Major election night polls close as Trump rages
Editor’s note: This has been updated with additional information.
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