(AFP) – Since being sworn in as president of the world’s most powerful nation, Donald Trump has been sure to lavish the standard bearer of the conservative right, Fox News, with scoops, favors, and an exclusive interview. Everything might appear to be rosy in the post-inaugural honeymoon period, but the relationship—a political marriage of convenience—between the two sides has not always been so smooth.
“We’re back to work. We’re not collecting checks in our pajamas anymore,” said one of the channel’s star anchors, Jesse Watters, host of “The Five” talk-show, taking aim at the Biden administration. “It’s fun to watch the Democrats and the media completely broken and just getting ruled over. Thank God. Look at what this government is capable of. I’m just, I’m invigorated.”
Since Trump’s return to the White House Monday, the most popular news channel has been the big winner on the broadcast battlefield. Owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Fox News scored the first TV interview with the 47th president in the Oval Office. The task was entrusted to network stalwart Sean Hannity, who was seen as so close to Trump during his first term that he was dubbed his “shadow chief-of-staff.”
The White House press corps are being reminded of the privileged status enjoyed by their competitor, being brushed off by spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt when journalists asked about Elon Musk’s apparent criticism of an investment announced by Trump. Leavitt told them she had already addressed the spat on Fox News, while it was one of the channel’s journalists who revealed the contents of the letter left by Biden for Trump.
During the day, the channel focuses on news, with its journalists reporting from the field. But in the evening, the channel is transformed and its stars fete the president between ads for his $110 “Save America” coffee table book and a Trump wine to honor his stints as the 45th and 47th president.
– ‘Extreme tendencies’ –
“The Trump administration wants an outlet to reach their constituency, and the ‘MAGA’ (Make America Great Again) crowd—and that’s where they happen to look at a lot of their news,” said Jeffrey McCall, a communication professor at DePauw University, explaining the enduring influence of Fox News. The White House is also “probably looking for the most sympathetic interviewers.” The channel points to its blockbuster ratings, pulling 71 percent of primetime news channel viewers—having extended its lead over closest competitors CNN and MSNBC since the election. It even claims first place among Democrats and Independents who watched the inauguration on a cable news channel.
While podcasts, social media, and viral digital content have eroded the influence of legacy media, 78-year-old Trump remains a loyal consumer of traditional news. “Fox News, in contrast to the podcasting world, has a lot of clout with congressional elites,” said Reece Peck, author of “Fox Populism.” Speculation abounds in media circles about just how long the honeymoon between Trump and Fox News can last.
“Trump has not had the best relationship with Fox News,” said McCall, reflecting the sometimes turbulent ties between Murdoch and Trump. The Republican has frequently condemned the channel—like on the evening of the 2020 presidential election when it called the key swing state of Arizona for Biden, and when he subsequently attacked the channel for being too soft on Kamala Harris. Some Fox News commentators also distanced themselves from Trump after the violent attack on the Capitol by his supporters in 2021, almost all of whom were pardoned or had sentences commuted by the new president this week.
“I don’t think anyone can really predict how the relationship between Trump and the media is going to play out,” said Mark Lukasiewicz of Hofstra University’s communications school. The only given is that “the second Trump administration is much more empowered and emboldened than the first… to the extent there were traditional guardrails, whether it was in the media or in Congress who were resisting some of Donald Trump’s more extreme tendencies—those seem to have largely disappeared.”
“The line has moved,” he said. “It remains to be seen how far it moves.”
– Andrea Bambino with Aurelia End in Washington
© 2024 AFP
