Former President Donald Trump's relationship with Fox News has been deteriorating ever since the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Now, according to The Daily Beast, it has grown so hostile that members of the former president's inner circle believe he has been blackballed from giving live interviews on the network altogether.
"In recent months, Trump's inner circle has become increasingly convinced that Fox News is essentially sidelining the former president by restricting live appearances on their network," reported Zachary Petrizzo. "'Trump is not allowed live on Fox,' a Trump operative told The Daily Beast, chalking it up to 'fear' that Trump could level a baseless allegation that could leave the network in a legal mess. A Trump adviser told The Daily Beast a similar story — that the former president isn’t allowed on live air anymore. At the very least, this person said, Fox News prefers to have Trump in a pre-recorded setting. 'Fox sent down word from the top that they don't want to ‘platform’ Trump like they did before,' a Trump adviser told The Daily Beast. 'I find it hilarious. For one, it sounds like something MSNBC would do.'"
However, Fox may have clear legal incentives for operating this way. The network's widespread devotion of airtime to the former president's conspiracy theories about election fraud — particularly those from MAGA-affiliated lawyer Sidney Powell — played a huge role in the billion-dollar defamation suit filed against Fox by election equipment company Dominion Voting Systems, which Fox ultimately settled for nearly $800 million.
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
"After a lengthy hiatus last year, Trump re-emerged on Fox News this past March," said the report. "However, following Trump’s absence, the former president only came back in a diminished capacity. Starting in March of 2023, Trump conducted a string of interviews with Fox hosts and anchors including Sean Hannity, Bret Baier, and Larry Kudlow. But gone are the days of Trump simply calling in live and offering his stream of consciousness. According to a search by The Daily Beast and Media Matters for America, Trump last phoned in live to a Fox News program in April of 2022."
For his part, Trump has publicly attacked Fox News, bashing any poll commissioned by them that shows him performing poorly against President Joe Biden and suggesting that their ratings are suffering without him on the network.
All of this comes at a time when right-wing media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, who helped build the network, is preparing to step back from his role and hand the reins fully to his son Lachlan Murdoch, who largely shares his father's political vision.
