Trump blames Fox News for GOP midterm losses
Coverage on election night showed sharp disagreement between the president and the network he often praises, while panelists mostly defended his record.
Key points
- Trump criticised Fox News on Truth Social and during a call into its election coverage around midnight.
- He said the network bore responsibility for Republican losses in the US House and Senate.
- Fox commentators largely avoided blaming Trump and cited voter impatience, prices and media messaging.
- Some commentators said the Iran war and rising gas prices hurt the party.
- Trump said he did not see the criticism as a hit on him.
According to the Guardian, US President Donald Trump blamed Fox News for Republican losses in the midterm elections on Tuesday. He made the criticism on social media and then on air, even as the network’s hosts were mostly gentle with him.
Before many races had been called, Trump posted several messages on Truth Social. He objected to Fox featuring Democratic commentator Jessica Tarlov, called the network’s polls the worst, and said Fox was against him. Just before midnight, he wrote that the channel was responsible for the Republican failure to keep control of the House and Senate.
Trump’s call into the broadcast
Around midnight, Trump phoned into Fox’s election coverage. He described the network’s polls as terrible and told staff they needed a better pollster. Anchor Bret Baier replied politely that the results were fairly close to what Fox polls had shown.
Trump also made a remark about Baier, suggesting that Fox had not backed him when it was unpopular. The Guardian reported that the network’s commentary during more than six and a half hours of coverage rarely linked the losses directly to the president.
What the panelists said
Instead, several commentators focused on voters. Jesse Watters said voters were impatient and wanted instant results. Many commentators also noted that the president’s party usually does poorly in midterm years.
Conservative commentators criticised Democrats, arguing that they would misread their victories as a mandate and open the way for Republican wins in 2028. The main criticisms of the president came from former aides and commentators who questioned the White House’s messaging and the decision to go to war in Iran.
Larry Kudlow, a Fox Business Network host who served as a director of the National Economic Council in Trump’s first term, said the administration had succeeded too well in the first year and did not promote it enough in the second. Dana Perino, a former press secretary to George W Bush, said the administration often had too many issues competing for attention.
Views on the Iran war and prices
Several commentators said voters appeared unhappy about the Iran war and the rise in gas prices that followed. Sean Hannity agreed with Baier that the result might have been different without the strikes. Watters later said that prices were the problem and that people were angry.
Even so, the panel broadly defended the president. Former press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed the media, while Will Cain said the benefits of the past two years outweighed the drawbacks. Laura Ingraham called the vote a referendum on Trump but praised his policies.
Trump himself rejected the idea that the results were a hit on him. He told the Fox panel he thought history would judge him for doing the right thing. He largely blamed the Republican candidates who lost and repeated that he would have changed the outcome had he been on the ballot.
Frequently asked questions
Did Trump blame Fox News for the midterm losses?
According to the Guardian, Trump said on Truth Social that Fox News bore responsibility for Republican losses in the House and Senate. He repeated his criticism during a call into the networku0026#039;s election coverage.
How did Fox News commentators respond?
Most commentators avoided tying the losses to Trump. They pointed to voter impatience, rising prices and the media, and some said the Iran war and gas prices had hurt the party.
What did Trump say about the results?
Trump told Fox that he did not see the criticism as a hit on him. He said he thought he would be judged well for doing the right thing and blamed the defeated Republican candidates.
Sources
This article was written with the help of AI from reports by the outlets listed above. See our Editorial Policy. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
