Fox News host defending himself after 'nasty on Trump' criticism

Fox News anchor Bret Baier, one of the more straight-news hosts at the network, found himself defending his coverage after a viewer attacked him for daring to show a clip of former President Donald Trump praising the militant group Hezbollah as "smart" during his rally in Florida earlier in the week.

"@BretBaier was nasty on Trump this evening speaking with @SpeakermcCarthy," said X user Stephanie Young, who identifies herself as a "Christian Conservative." "He played a clip from 2021 as if it was Trump's words today. Also he nagged @SpeakerMcCarthy repeatedly. He was rude and unpleasant!"

"Sorry you felt that way," Baier replied. "The former President’s comments about Netanyahu and Hezbollah were made in Florida yesterday. They were played on air before the interview. I quoted an article that aimed to provide more context to the Trump-Netanyahu relationship in recent years- sorry if it was confusing."

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"Thanks for watching," Baier concluded.

The individual to whom Baier responded wasn't the only one who noticed the tone around Trump's Israel comments. One verified conservative user wrote, "I'm shocked Brett Bair of fox News just reported on Trump attacking BIBi Netanyahu and praising hezbola terrorists."

Another user saw Baier's defense, and asked if the coverage was unedited. "It was live," the host responded Thursday.

The right-wing network, whose owner Rupert Murdoch is stepping down and handing the reins to his son this year, has increasingly fallen under Trump's disfavor, having shied away from election conspiracy theories ever since their nearly $800 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.

Trump has increasingly complained about Fox, calling the network disloyal to him, and even criticizing their polling.