President Donald Trump fumed at Fox News on Election Day, accusing the conservative network of turning against him, giving Democrats too much airtime and driving away its own viewers.
“FoxNews Ratings are way down (27%!) because they’re spending too much time covering the Trump Deranged Dumocrats!” Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social. “All of those people who used to watch Fox, and no longer do, get it. It’s them, not me.”
Trump insisted his own popularity remained strong, claiming his numbers were “better than they have ever been” and citing a CNN poll that he said showed overwhelming Republican support for him.
The president also accused Fox News of deliberately undermining him through its polling.
“The FoxNews Poll, always the worst, is so insulting with the questions they ask,” Trump wrote. “Every question is a hit job, and every answer is ‘BULLS***!'”
His grievances extended beyond the network’s programming. Trump questioned why Fox Corp. was financially supporting Democratic politicians and organizations, naming House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Reps. Jamie Raskin, Ted Lieu and Pete Aguilar, along with several Democratic campaign committees. He did not provide figures to substantiate his allegations.
Trump also singled out Jessica Tarlov, the Democratic strategist and co-host of Fox News’ “The Five,” with a personal insult while watching the network’s election coverage, a complaint he brought up in previous posts.
“I can’t stand Jessica Tarlov’s voice — DUMB AS A ROCK, but it’s the voice that gets me,” Trump wrote, adding that he would change channels until she was off the air.
Fox News has experienced a ratings decline, although Trump’s explanation for the drop is unsubstantiated. Nielsen data showed the network’s total-day audience fell 27% in October compared with the previous year, according to TheWrap. Fox nevertheless remained the most-watched cable news network.
Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch attributed the decline to viewer fatigue during an earnings call Monday.
Trump, however, insisted the network’s coverage of him was responsible.
“They’re way down, not because of me, but because they are AGAINST me!” he wrote. “This happened once before, and Fox almost collapsed. It’s happening again!”
