Even Fox Turning Away? Cutting Back on Trump Coverage and Skipping Rally Broadcasts

Even Fox News, a media ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, appears to be gradually reducing the former president's screen time.

It was learned on the 8th, local time, that Fox News has not broadcasted a single live coverage of Trump's nationwide campaign rallies launched ahead of the November midterm elections.

Trump gave a speech lasting nearly two hours starting at 6 p.m. Central Time yesterday in San Antonio, Texas, a battleground state.

Fox News did not broadcast it live, and only briefly mentioned related details a couple of times that morning on its morning news program "Fox & Friends."

In a report from the rally site, a Fox News reporter said, "This is a state that he won by nearly 14 percentage points just two years ago," adding, "Yet now, he is back in Texas to defend this state and keep it red for the Republicans. Isn't it hard to believe that these words are coming out of my mouth?"

CNN reported that Fox News has noticeably reduced its coverage proportion of Trump's events since its live broadcast of the Republican convention in Dallas, Texas, on September 9 to 10.

This stems from an assessment by Fox executives that Trump's appearances do not help with viewership ratings, a current program host told CNN on condition of anonymity.

During the 2024 presidential election, Fox News broadcasted Trump's speech at Madison Square Garden in New York live, and ratings tripled once the broadcast began.

At this recent Republican convention, however, viewership ratings remained low even during segments featuring Trump.

CNN pointed out that "Trump's rambling and passionate campaign speeches, filled with repetitive and predictable remarks, are not inherently newsworthy."

Fox News has the largest viewership in the United States.

It is especially considered to have formed a loyal, conservative-leaning viewer base.

Ultimately, this can be interpreted as a sign that Trump's "brand power" no longer works among conservatives.

On the other hand, some interpretations suggest this is because Fox News, which leans pro-Republican, has judged that repeatedly exposing Trump actually harms the election.

CNN noted, "Fox agrees with the thinking of Republican candidates and strategists who privately worry that Trump will hurt their chances of winning the midterm elections," adding, "Fox's default response is to turn off Trump's broadcasts."

Previously, Fox News dismissed anchor Maria Bartiromo, who had been considered a "political ally" of Trump.

Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration recently over this "change of heart" by Fox, which has supported him for nearly a decade.

On the 4th, Trump said on the social media platform Truth Social, "Our supporters want to see our rallies and coverage of our rallies on Fox News. Otherwise, they will stop watching very quickly."

Two days later, he criticized, "Fox is promoting Democrats, not Republicans and MAGA (Make America Great Again). They have completely lost their way."

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.