MSNBC's Joe Scarborough pointed to the ongoing feud between Donald Trump and Fox News as a leading indicator of divisions within the Republican Party.
The former president challenged Fox boss Rupert Murdoch to a mental acuity test after the Wall Street Journal and Fox News reported concerns about his age heading into next year's election, and the "Morning Joe" host said that showed a GOP split that could hurt his chances at re-election.
"You have a Republican Party that really is, it's split, it's splintered," Scarborough said. "Yes, 50 percent of Republicans support Donald Trump. Great, that's 50 percent that don't. Then you've got this war with Fox News. I mean, you know, I talked to somebody this weekend. Again, a supporter of Trump. We were talking, and I said, you know -- they let me know, they watch Newsmax. That's where they get their news. But there's these splinters and divisions. We have a guy who wants to be the Republican nominee who is trashing Fox News every day. Again, Fox News, they'll get by, you know, other people will get by."
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"I'm just saying, when you have a Republican Party that is that splintered, Donald Trump dividing it right down the middle, it doesn't bode well for next year," he added. "I don't care what everybody says."
Trump is engaged in a power struggle with the influential conservative network, said MSNBC's Jonathan Lemire, and there's no guarantee he would win.
"Trump is making the bet that he is bigger than Fox, that he doesn't need Fox," Lemire said. "That is a risky bet to make. We know what power they have wielded for such a long time. It is true, they were supportive, eventually, of Trump in 2016. They were all-in on 2020. They've kind of gone back and forth here. like, he has -- they certainly seem to be flirting with the candidacy of Ron DeSantis for a while, as that has stalled, coverage says it's warmed up to Trump again for the most part, but it is not good enough for Trump."
"Trump wants a Kim Jong-un chorus, nothing but support," Lemire added. "If there is a slightly dissenting voice, the occasional anchor in Fox News, if they're not giving lavish praise at all times, it's not good enough. He goes scorched earth against them. To your point, that's dangerous a little bit here. He is far ahead in the primaries. Even a fraction of the Republican Party seems, at this moment, on track to re-nominate him. As we go into next year, he can't afford to lose any support. We know how close next year's election is going to be. We talk often about how President [Joe] Biden can't afford to lose these small margins, whether because of voters of color or those attracted to a third-party candidate. That applies to Trump, too. He doesn't have a margin of error either. He needs every vote he can. If he is turning off Republicans, if he doesn't get the full-throated endorsement of Fox News next time around, that could come back and hurt him."
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