Could Fox News Channel’s most famous viewer be souring on the network? Maybe just a bit.
The Washington Post’s Sarah Ellison and Paul Farhi have followed up on President Trump’s Sunday morning tweet storm, and report that the president might be “changing his tune” on Fox News.
In those tweets, Trump criticizes the late Sen. John McCain, a rerun of Saturday Night Live, Fox News weekend news anchors Leland Vittert and Arthel Neville, as well as Shepard Smith, the award-winning TV newser who has long been critical of many Trump claims.
Fox News correspondent Jeff Paul stood up for his colleagues in light of the President’s tweets.
I’m working with @ArthelNeville and @LelandVittert this weekend…like most weekends. They’re both incredible journalists, constantly engaged and inquisitive. I’m proud to call them colleagues…as I am proud to work with @ShepNewsTeam each week. https://t.co/fU7zOhRXlY
— Jeff Paul (@Jeff_Paul) March 17, 2019
In a separate thread that day, President Trump slammed the network for prempting Justice with Judge Jeanine the previous evening, and expressed support for Tucker Carlson:
Bring back @JudgeJeanine Pirro. The Radical Left Democrats, working closely with their beloved partner, the Fake News Media, is using every trick in the book to SILENCE a majority of our Country. They have all out campaigns against @FoxNews hosts who are doing too well. Fox …..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2019
….must stay strong and fight back with vigor. Stop working soooo hard on being politically correct, which will only bring you down, and continue to fight for our Country. The losers all want what you have, don’t give it to them. Be strong & prosper, be weak & die! Stay true….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2019
….to the people that got you there. Keep fighting for Tucker, and fight hard for @JudgeJeanine. Your competitors are jealous – they all want what you’ve got – NUMBER ONE. Don’t hand it to them on a silver platter. They can’t beat you, you can only beat yourselves!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2019
Ellison and Farhi write that multiple Fox Newsers they spoke with “could not figure out precisely what it was that had set him off,” considering the news reports from Vittert and Neville were pretty straight-forward. The same newsroom staffers speculated that perhaps findings from the Mueller report, which is rumored to be released in the coming days, may have been on his mind.
The network pointed out to Ellison and Farhi that Trump has been critical of multiple news division personalities in the past, including Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner, Fox News White House correspondents John Roberts and Gillian Turner. The network’s chief political anchor Bret Baier asked for an interview with Trump nearly 600 days before he was rewarded with one Air Force One on the president’s trip back from South Korea.
Vanity Fair’s Gabe Sherman, a well-known and longtime critic of the network, also writes about a possible rift between Trump and Fox News.
“Donald Trump’s alliance with Fox News has been one of the few constants throughout his shambolic presidency,” Sherman claims. “But in recent days, that bond has shown signs of fraying.”
Citing a senior source in Fox News, Sherman adds: “Reporters are telling management that we’re being defined by the worst people on our air.” He later writes: “Sources said [Sean] Hannity is angry at the Murdochs’ firing of [Roger] Ailes and Bill Shine,” and that Hannity believes “the Murdochs are out to get Trump,” suggesting he may leave the network when his contract runs out in 2021.
Sherman, like Farhi and Ellison, note that Fox Corp chairman and CEO Lachlan Murdoch will be the one dealing with any potential fallout. Fox Corp. officially launched yesterday as the parent company of Fox News/FBN, Fox Broadcasting network and Fox Sports. It’s a slimmer, live news and sports focused broadcasting company that’s the result of 21st Century Fox’s sale of its film and TV studio assets as well as its cable networks, and 30 percent share of Hulu to the Walt Disney Company.