Clashing Over "Election Rout"... Is Murdoch Dropping Trump?

Following the Republican Party's crushing defeat in the U.S. midterm elections, analysis suggests that media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who has long served as a voice for conservatives, has begun distancing himself from Donald Trump.

According to the Financial Times (FT) on November 4, local time, Fox News, owned by News Corp founder Murdoch's family, has pointed to President Donald Trump as the cause of the midterm election defeat.

Sean Hannity, an anchor and prominent supporter of President Trump, answered "100% yes, no doubt about it" when asked whether the election outcome would have been different had President Trump not waged war with Iran. Laura Ingraham, another staunch Trump supporter and host on Fox News, also remarked that the war with Iran was "really difficult and not properly explained."

President Trump did not hide his displeasure at the shifted atmosphere on Fox News.

While watching Fox News on election night, he took to social media to launch successive criticisms, saying, "I hate the host's voice so much" and "The polls were always the worst."

The day after the election, newspapers owned by Murdoch also collectively blamed President Trump for the midterm defeat.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) stated in an editorial that President Trump was responsible for engineering the Republican defeat, while the New York Post featured an image on its front page of a giant blue tsunami crashing over President Trump.

However, local analyses noted that given Fox News' core viewership consists heavily of pro-Trump voters, an immediate split with President Trump will not be easy.

Some observations also suggested that despite signs of change, the relationship between President Trump and Fox News remains close. Indeed, President Trump maintained his close ties with the network by appearing via telephone on election day for an interview lasting over 20 minutes.

Reported by Son Hyeong-an | Video by Ahn Jun-hyeok | Design by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.