Reacting to the growing distance between Donald Trump and Fox News as Rupert Murdoch’s media empire is increasingly distancing itself from the former president, a panel on MSNBC’s “The Katie Phang Show,” discussed the impact of not having Fox News on his side and how it will hurt Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign should he run.
On Friday night, the New York Times reported that Trump has been missing in action on Fox for 113 days, with the report stating, “The skepticism toward the former president extends to the highest levels of the company, according to two people with knowledge of the thinking of Mr. Murdoch, the chairman, and his son Lachlan, the chief executive. It also reflects concerns that Republicans in Washington, like Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, have expressed to the Murdochs about the potential harm Mr. Trump could cause to the party’s chances in upcoming elections, especially its odds of taking control of the Senate.”
According to host Phang, the schism — if it continues — will hurt Trump’s need for publicity in the 2024 GOP presidential nominee race.
“Rolling Stone is reporting that Trump is obsessing over the fact that Fox News’ coverage of him versus his potential rivals for the GOP nomination in 2024 is top of mind.” Phang began. “He is very concerned that he is losing the so-called Fox News primary.”
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“When Trump spoke before cameras in D.C. this week Fox News did not air it, however, the network did show a speech by Mike Pence for roughly 17 minutes,” she continued. “Fernand, how big of a deal with it would be if they turn their back on Donald Trump?”
“It would certainly be a big deal, Katie,” Democratic pollster Fernand Amandi replied. “I think, again, the question remains, Donald Trump is the head of the Republican Party: this is Donald Trump’s Republican Party, so, the sun is him and the party revolves around it.”
“Fox News has tried this before, they have had stages in the past where they have tried to backpedal their coverage of Trump,” he elaborated. “Inevitably, it is the Fox News viewers who have demanded the coverage re-attune itself to Trump. So, if that phenomenon happens again where Trump can basically say, and declare war or many more, or a temporary war, on Fox News, and forces the coverage back, I think it will be alright.”
‘Until though, however, we see him drop precipitously in these Republican presidential standings for 2024, I am not sure Trump still has to worry about this,” he added.