(NewsGlobal.com)- Former President Donald Trump could once solidly count on conservative media outlet Fox News to have his back and build him up. In fact, the cable news network was a big part of giving him a huge platform that he used on his way to the White House.
Now, though, things have changed — dramatically — and the decision to turn their backs on Trump has apparently come all the way from the top.
Recent reports say that Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News and other conservative publications such as The Wall Street Journal and New York Post, has turned away from Trump. Instead, he favors prospective Republican presidential candidates such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence.
Last weekend, The New York Times published a report that said the reason why Fox News hasn’t interviewed Trump in more than 100 days is because of the former president’s “refusal to accept his [2020] election loss.”
The station has aired some short clips of recent speeches that Trump has given, but the last time he was given a full-blown interview was on April 13, when he called into a show hosted by Sean Hannity.
Fox News’ move away from Trump was most evident on July 22. That day, Trump held a rally in Arizona, at which he discussed the possibility that he’ll run for president again in 2024. Instead of airing that rally, Fox News aired an interview between host Laura Ingraham and DeSantis.
Just last week, Trump gave a speech at another public event, but Fox News instead aired a Pence speech that lasted 17 minutes.
Trump apparently has noticed that he’s being shunned by Fox News. He took to his a social media platform, Truth Justice, on July 25, where he trashed “Fox and Friends” for reporting that DeSantis was ahead of Trump in two different polls that asked voters about who’d they support in a hypothetical Republican primary in 2024.
As Trump wrote:
“[Fox and Friends] just really botched my poll numbers, no doubt on purpose. That show has been terrible — gone to the ‘dark side.’
“They quickly quote the big Turning Point Poll victory of almost 60 points over the number two Republican, and then hammer me with outliers. Actually, almost all polls have me leading all Republicans & Biden BY A LOT.”
While things don’t seem to be going well between Trump and Murdoch now, it’s possible that will change should Trump officially announce his candidacy for president. As The Washington Post reported over the weekend:
“Murdoch associates say his frustrations with Trump have only grown; the two have barely spoken since Trump left office. But, Murdoch’s reputation for pragmatism and Trump’s political durability make it hard to say for sure where their relationship will end up.”
It’s easy for Fox News to shun Trump now, as just an “everyday civilian.” But, if Trump were to announce his candidacy for president, it would be very hard for them to continue to do so.
