Once again, people are mistaking the Murdoch efforts to be rid of Donald Trump as Fox News gospel.
As we’ve previously reported, it was very clear that before the midterms, the Murdochs wanted Trump gone. Not because he’s a likely crook and traitor, but because he’s harming Republican politics. But it didn’t happen then and it probably isn’t happening now.
Yes, Fox News has been more overt at signaling to TFG it’s time to get out of the way now that the MAGA “red tsunami” Foxies were so looking forward to has fizzled.
But that doesn’t mean that a) Trump will take the hint or b) that Fox won’t change its mind should Trump start looking like a frontrunner for 2024 or, God forbid, become the GOP nominee.
Yet, for some reason, some pundits think THIS IS REALLY IT THIS TIME between Fox and Trump.
Eric Wemple nailed it in his column yesterday:
On cue, all manner of commentators are citing the criticism as evidence that Rupert Murdoch and his son, Lachlan Murdoch, the top executives at Fox Corp. and News Corp., which own Fox News and the [Wall Street] Journal, respectively — are “done” with Trump, or some variation of that argument.
As we’ve written before: Not so fast, folks. Murdoch won’t be “done” with Trump until his chief propagandist, Sean Hannity, is done with Trump.
Wemple cites examples going back to shortly after the 2020 election in which Murdoch World has lashed out at Trump. But he goes on to point out that it’s “apparently just fine” with the Murdochs for their print publications to blast Trump while Hannity and other Fox hosts suck up to and glorify him. And promote Trump’s MAGA candidates.
Yes, Fox is sending signals that Gov. Ron DeSantis is their guy for 2024, but that hardly means Fox is “done” with Trump. As I wrote in my Crooks and Liars post about Fox host Harris Faulkner and contributor Jason Chaffetz dissing Trump:
The problem for these folks is that the narcissistic Trumpenstein they helped create is not likely to slink away into a corner and let others have the spotlight, especially not when there’s fundraising money to glom.
And I can assure you that if Trump becomes the 2024 front runner, Fox will fall back in line with him as fast as you can say, “some very fine people on both sides.”
I predict the Murdochs will fall in line just as quickly, too.
Unless he becomes a Democrat, I'm not sure Fox will ever be done with him.
We’ve written about Nicolle Wallace since she was a Republican and went on Fox News as one of the team. Also, since she left the GOP.
So it’s quite possible she has read us.
I will say, I think she runs an excellent show. I frequently work in front of the TV with the sound off and the closed captioning on. If I have Deadline Whitehouse on, I often wind up turning on the sound and watching for much longer than I planned.
She is one smart cookie.
McFaul: “I watch them so you don’t have to.”
Nicolle: “Kinda like Fox last Tuesday night.”
Could one or both of them be Newshounds readers?