'Division and destruction': Rupert Murdoch slammed for creating 'MAGA propaganda factory'

Fox News founder and right-wing international media tycoon Rupert Murdoch announced his intent to step down from his position on Thursday, clearing the way for his son Lachlan to take over the business fully.

The change is unlikely to have much impact on the editorial content of Murdoch's outlets. However, the Lincoln Project was quick to send the Australian-born billionaire off with a good-riddance victory lap, calling him an "arsonist who set fire to American politics to make billions."

“Murdoch created an extremist MAGA propaganda factory that poisoned the minds of millions of Americans for power and profit. An immigrant himself, Murdoch did more to encourage hatred of those who would come here to make a better life for their families than any other person in modern history," said the anti-Trump group in a statement. “Murdoch and FOX News pushed the false conspiracies of a stolen election that enraged their viewers until they finally stormed the Capital. Fox has already had to pay nearly $1 billion for their election lies, and we sincerely wish them billions more in costs and damages."

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The legacy of Murdoch, the statement said, is one of "division and destruction," where he pitted Americans against each other for profit with his right-wing machine.

Although top Fox News personalities supported Trump throughout his presidency, reporting has revealed that Murdoch eventually soured on him and wants another Republican to lead the party going forward. He even reportedly considered firing Sean Hannity, one of the network's most pro-Trump anchors, to try to head off the $1.6 billion lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems for promoting election lies against them, which the network eventually settled for just under $800 million.

The bad blood has been mutual; Trump has escalated his attacks against Fox News, targeting Murdoch specifically in his rants on his social media, and blasting him as a "globalist" in contrast to Trump's "America First" agenda.