For those who watched Fox News’ January 10 town hall with Donald Trump, one message rang loud and clear: Fox News is utterly supplicating itself to the disgraced former president in preparation for the general election in which Trump appears most likely to be the Republican nominee.
Not only are multiple media reviewers noting just how friendly and deferential the event was, but Trump himself just publicly noted it, too — specifically thanking the network’s purported “straight news” anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum for the job they did moderating the event.
It’s important to remember that Fox News followed Trump’s demands in even hosting this town hall in the first place, a fact that Baier openly admitted, by scheduling it to run opposite CNN’s Republican debate between former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in which the former president refused to participate. The network also stacked the deck by interviewing Trump in prime time, a strong contrast to Fox’s earlier town hall events with Haley and DeSantis which ran during the 6 p.m. ET time slot.
- The Associated Press said Baier and McCallum had the task of “not alienating” pro-Trump viewers: “They did it by not interrupting Trump with fact-checks.” [The Associated Press, 1/11/24]
Moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum had their own challenge: not to allow the town hall to go off the rails, as a similar town hall televised by CNN last May did, while also not alienating a network audience filled with Trump supporters.
They did it by not interrupting Trump with fact-checks. After Trump criticized how DeSantis responded to COVID as governor of Florida, MacCallum said, “DeSantis would argue with your characterization.” During an abortion discussion, when Trump suggested “radical” Democrats supported killing babies after they were born, it was not challenged.
- The New York Times highlighted Trump’s “charmed night” on Fox News, in contrast to the attacks between Haley and DeSantis at their separate debate. [The New York Times, 1/11/24]
Over on Fox News, Mr. Trump had a charmed night, uninterrupted by competitors and their opposition research and appearing relaxed as he batted back the few gently skeptical questions he received from the audience. One questioner even introduced herself as a “caucus captain” for him, and nothing forced him from his talking points.
- MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough called it “an advertisement for Donald Trump.” “I would call it softball, a softball event. I’ve never seen one as fawning,” the former GOP congressman turned Trump critic said. “I’m not even sure, why did they have two hosts there? They could’ve just had one to just sit there and smile and say, ‘You’re great,’ ask another softball question.” [MSNBC, Morning Joe, 1/11/24]
- Mediaite: “Fox News Finally Surrenders to Trump With Subservient Town Hall.” Mediaite founding editor Colby Hall wrote the event “was more like the anointment of a future leader and, even more shocking, a surrender by Fox News to their once and future King.” Colby noted, for instance, that while Baier brought up Trump’s recent statement that he hoped the economy would crash before the election, the anchor “did so in the most feckless way imaginable, prompting Trump: ‘You’re not saying you’re hoping for a crash? Just to be clear.’” [Mediaite, 1/11/24]
- Mediaite also noted that Baier and MacCallum failed to check an outrageous lie about abortion rights. Trump “repeatedly and falsely claimed that Democrats favor ‘killing babies after birth,’” Mediaite wrote. “During a lengthy answer on the issue of abortion, Trump repeated this lie several times — without correction from either host.” [Mediaite, 1/11/24]
- Donald Trump: “Thank you to Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum for doing a really professional job.” [Truth Social, 1/11/24]
Though some in the media have speculated that Fox News and the wider Murdoch empire might break with Trump after he refused to stop the January 6 insurrection, the fact remains that the network can still be counted on to boost Trump as long as he maintains his own hold over Fox’s conservative viewers. Indeed, documents revealed in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against Fox shows that the network joined in spreading the defeated president’s lies about the 2020 election, and internally attacked its own reporters for telling the truth, precisely because it did not want to lose viewers to other right-wing news outlets.
The immediate reviews of Fox’s obsequious town hall with Trump may be a good start. But going forward, mainstream media outlets need to recognize that Fox is not a news organization at all, and they should instead treat it like the Republican Party propaganda outlet it really is.
Reprinted with permission from Media Matters.
