Trump-Fox relationship takes warmer turn with Hannity interview

Donald Trump is set to attend an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday, highlighting the importance of the increasingly complicated relationship between the former president and the country’s most watched cable network. It’s progress.

Trump has been relentless at Fox over reports of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to challenge Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination.

At the same time, Fox remains in custody in a high-profile defamation lawsuit stemming from reports of Trump’s false allegations that voter fraud was widespread in the 2020 election.

Some experts at Fox have suggested the Republican Party needs to move away from Trump and focus on backing other candidates, but the interview with Hannity suggests that ahead of the Republican primary, One of the network’s most influential figures shows strong support for the former president.

Despite a brief dip in viewership following the 2020 election, which has since recovered, Trump’s scheduled appearance on Fox will be the network’s first since announcing his bid for the Republican nomination in 2024. will appear in

It was also revealed through the Dominion Voting System lawsuit against the network that top Fox leaders and hosts had personally complained about his false statements about Trump and his election, while many People voiced their support for him on the air.

“The day is near when you can ignore Trump most nights. According to a court filing in a text message, I can’t wait.

“I hate him fiercely,” Carlson wrote in another message.

Fox, which is defending itself in court under the First Amendment, claims that employee text messages and emails are “kept all the way” by Dominion to annoy the network.

Carlson expressed a more optimistic view of Trump in a radio interview this week.

“Oh, let’s see. I’ve spent four years defending his policies, and I’m going to do so again tonight,” Carlson said. “Actually, I frankly love Trump. As a person, I find him funny and insightful.”

Hannity’s relationship with and support for longtime friend Trump is also being scrutinized as part of the Dominion lawsuit.

Rupert Murdoch, Fox’s owner and co-chair, in a message sent to former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), a member of Fox’s board of directors, shortly after the 2020 election. Murdoch called the post-election period a “wake-up call” for the longtime emcee, according to another court filing.

In a separate email to Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott, Murdoch worried that Hannity and fellow host Laura Ingraham had “goed too far” in supporting Trump’s false allegations.

“It’s fine to say Sean is desperate for Trump, but what did he tell viewers?” Murdoch wrote to Scott, according to the filing.

Trump’s last appearance on Fox was in the fall of 2022, before announcing another bid for the White House. That was during a similar sit-down interview with Hannity that the former president used to bashing President Biden and Democrats.

The network did not broadcast Trump rallies live, and made headlines in November for temporarily suspending a presidential announcement event.

“Attention to senior management at Fox News: When Donald J. Trump speaks, it’s newsworthy,” Trump ally Steve Bannon said in a fiery speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month. and grabbed the Dominion lawsuit with his remarks.

“Is there so much going on on Fox News at 2 p.m. that you can’t cover him live?” Bannon said. “They have no respect for you. Read the deposition. They fear you, despise you, despise you.”

Parts of Murdoch’s media empire, including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, have been pushing DeSantis for the past few months ahead of his anticipated presidential run.

Trump attacked DeSantis this week for an extensive interview with Piers Morgan, whom Murdoch hired to host a talk TV show and write a regular column for the Post. bottom.

“I’m fighting radical leftist fanatics, oppressors, and unjust prosecutors who want to destroy us all, but Ron DeSanctimonias isn’t working for the people of Florida as they should. He’s too busy chatting with the ratings-challenged British TV host’, desperately trying to salvage his failed campaign — but it’s my fault, I put him there I did!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post this week.

Some Fox hosts have been sharply critical of Trump and favorable to DeSantis.

Fox host Neil Cavuto accused Trump of “lying” about DeSantis’ record on Thursday, and the network recently featured an interview with the governor of Florida.

Experts and observers predict that Trump and Murdoch will be able to put aside their public differences if they ultimately benefit from each other.

Fox continues to lead the cable news network, and the company’s chief advertising executive said this week that the company’s ad sales were unaffected by the Dominion lawsuit.

Still, big problems loom large in the Trump-Fox relationship in the coming months. For example, whether more hosts on the network will give Trump a platform to attack DeSantis’ blank mandate, whether Trump will resume false repetitions about her 2020 election, and so on. he will meet

Peter Roge, director of the Political Communication Ethics Project at George Washington University, said:

“Donald Trump has made a career out of screaming, slapping and taunting people. Everyone comes back to him because they want that attention…the Dominion’s One of the things we’ve learned from the lawsuit is that Fox is concerned: When the Trump train leaves town, its valuation drops.And they have bills to pay.”