Trouble in Paradise: Trump Is Beefing With Fox News
Fresh off a Twitter tantrum over MSNBC’s recent botched coverage of his ties to Russia, President Donald Trump called into Brian Kilmeade’s Fox News radio show on Thursday morning to continue venting about—among other things—Fox News itself.
“I’m not happy with Fox,” Trump reportedly whined at one point, musing that “people think Fox is for me.” (Hmmm, I wonder why? Truly a mystery).
Trump also complained about Fox’s 2020 polling, which has shown him trailing former Vice President Joe Biden—as well as Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris—all by decisive margins.
“In all fairness, among my worst polls always is Fox, I have to say that,” Trump told Kilmeade.
Trump nevertheless had kind words for Fox’s who’s-who of host-villains.“Sean [Hannity], and Laura [Ingraham], and Tucker [Carlson]’s really been very good, Trump rambled, noting that “Tucker’s a little tricky, but that’s OK,” an apparent reference to Carlson’s transparent racism, which is “tricky” indeed!
Trump continued his “nice” list with an awkward backhanded compliment for Kilmeade himself, explaining, “I used to say you were a solid six, maybe a seven, but you’re getting much better.”
Still, Trump saved his harshest words for CNN and MSNBC, which he blasted as “100 percent” against him, saying the networks “don’t have diversity, meaning my view.” But, moments later, he admitted to denying their requests to put his view on their networks, saying, “CNN in particular is begging me to do an interview. I just think it would be disloyal to my followers!”
“I don’t think you should do an interview over there either,” Kilmeade agreed, presumably hoping to get that seven up to an eight, or even an eight-and-a-half.