Donald Trump publicly blamed Fox News for Republican losses in the midterm elections, criticizing the network’s polls and coverage of Democrats. These criticisms came even as commentators on the network largely avoided directly attributing the losses to Trump, instead focusing on voter impatience and historical trends for the president’s party in midterm elections. Trump’s attacks occurred both on his social media platform, Truth Social, and during a direct call-in to Fox’s election coverage, where he called the network’s polls “terrible.” Fox News saw a 27% year-over-year decline in viewership in October, averaging 1.1 million viewers, a drop CEO Lachlan Murdoch attributed to “viewer fatigue” common in midterm election years. While viewership decreased, Fox Corp. reported a 22% year-over-year revenue increase for its fiscal first quarter, driven by advertising revenue from political ads and the FIFA Men's World Cup.
Trump specifically criticized Fox News for featuring Democratic pundit Jessica Tarlov and accused the network of being “AGAINST” him. During his call into Fox’s election coverage, he urged the network to “get yourself a good pollster” because their current pollsters were “the worst.” Fox News anchor Bret Baier pushed back, noting the network’s polls were close to the actual results. Several Fox commentators suggested the party’s messaging was flawed, with Larry Kudlow stating Trump was “too successful in the first year and didn’t sell it enough in the second year,” and Dana Perino noting the administration often had “too many balls in the air.” Some commentators also expressed concern over Trump’s decision to pursue war with Iran and the resulting rise in gas prices.
While Trump focused his criticism on Fox News, commentators on the network largely avoided directly tying the Republican losses to him. Instead, host Jesse Watters attributed the results to voters seeking “instant gratification.” Many commentators predicted a Republican resurgence in 2028, arguing Democrats would overinterpret their victory. The only significant criticisms of Trump focused on messaging and the Iran policy. The decline in Fox News’ viewership was noted, but Murdoch asserted viewers were not switching to competitor networks like MSNBC or CNN, which both saw double-digit percentage increases in primetime viewership in October, though still remained behind Fox in overall viewership.
Our reading is that Trump’s public blaming of Fox News represents a fracturing of a previously supportive media relationship, likely prompted by Republican losses in the midterms. While the network attempted to avoid directly attributing those losses to Trump, the criticisms from both sides suggest a growing tension. The simultaneous financial success of Fox Corp, despite declining viewership, indicates the network is not necessarily suffering materially from this shift, but the public dispute is noteworthy.
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