This Is Why Trump Is Done With Fox News
President Donald Trump seems to always have a bone to pick with the media, but he typically holds Fox News in high regard. That appears to have changed as the conservative news network continues to cover the 2020 election.
On Election Day, the White House was reportedly outraged when Fox News became the first outlet to declare that Democratic challenger Joe Biden had won Arizona with only 73 percent of the state's votes counted. According to The New York Times, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, contacted the owner of Fox News, Rupert Murdoch, and demanded the station change its tone. Vanity Fair reported that Trump allegedly "phoned Fox owner Rupert Murdoch to scream about the [Arizona] call and demand a retraction. Murdoch refused, and the call stood."
"We strongly believe that our call will stand, and that's why we're not pulling back the call," Fox News correspondent Arnon Mishkin told viewers on Nov. 5, 2020 (via The Guardian). "We're confident that the data will basically look like the data we've noticed throughout the count in Arizona."
As of this writing, Biden is ahead of Trump nationwide in both the popular vote and the electoral college. Despite Biden's upward trajectory, Fox News reportedly sent two memos to its anchors instructing them not to refer to Biden as the "president-elect" after the network "calls the race," reported CNN. The memos supposedly recommended describing Biden as having "enough electoral votes to win the presidency."
Keep scrolling for more details about Trump's contentious relationship with the conservative network.
Donald Trump and Fox News have an on-again, off-again relationship
Donald Trump supporters have also begun to lash out at Fox News, as well as Trump's own administration, for announcing Biden's state victories. Protestors were spotted in Phoenix, Ariz. chanting "Fox News sucks!" while Trump fans in Detroit, Mich. shouted "stop the count" outside of a polling location, reported The Guardian.
This isn't the first time Trump and his supporters have slammed Fox News, despite the network's reputation for fiercely defending his time in office. In the throes of Trump's impeachment trial in January 2020, he took aim at the conservative channel. "Really pathetic how @FoxNews is trying to be so politically correct by loading the airwaves with Democrats like Chris Van Hollen, the no name Senator from Maryland. He has been on forever playing up the Impeachment Hoax. Dems wouldn't even give Fox their low ratings debates ...," Trump tweeted at the time.
Trump has also lobbed insults at specific Fox News correspondents, by suggesting they should work at one of his least favorite news networks. "So, what the hell has happened to @FoxNews Only I know! Chris Wallace and others should be on Fake News CNN or MSDNC..." he tweeted. "Watch, this will be the beginning of the end for Fox, just like the other two which are dying in the ratings. Social Media is great!"
Only time will tell if Trump and Fox News get back on good terms.