Trump Continues to Clash with Fox News
Alex Wong/Getty Images
We ran the numbers: There are 286 news articles covering this topic. 59% (169) are left leaning, 35% (100) center, 6% (17) right leaning.
Earlier this month, President Trump criticized his once-favorite network, Fox News, for releasing a poll that showed him performing poorly against the Democratic candidate in the 2020 general election. This week, Trump has again expressed frustration with the outlet, tweeting that “The New @FoxNews is letting millions of GREAT people down! We have to start looking for a new News Outlet. Fox isn’t working for us anymore!” Unlike earlier this month, Fox News responded to the criticism this week: Fox News host Neil Cavuto retorts Trump’s words–saying, “we don’t work for you".
Trump has long been a critic of the mainstream media, often referring to it as the “lamestream media,” and particularly criticizing left-leaning outlets such as CNN and the New York Times for portraying his administration in an unfavorable light. In response to Trump’s “hate-tweets,” the Washington Post published a left-leaning analysis arguing that the news media is not supposed to work “for” anyone specific but rather for the public in general. “No matter how you define ‘us,’” the article reads, “Trump’s tweet sure makes it sound as though he thinks Fox News is there to support him and/or his political base.” The article adds that a Fox News commentator agreed, saying “Fox News isn’t supposed to work for you.” The author also suggests that Trump is attempting to put pressure on Fox in order to extract more favorable coverage for them. However, he proposes that it is possible that in the lead-up to the 2020 election, Trump needs Fox more than Fox needs him.
A right-leaning article from RealClear Politics focuses on Fox’s reaction to the president’s criticism. Most of the article reprints the reaction of Fox News host Neil Cavuto. Cavuto said “First of all, Mr. President, we don’t work for you. I don’t work for you. My job is to cover you, not fawn over you or rip you, just cover you — call balls and strikes.” He added that he felt the president gets fair coverage on Fox and that he is entitled to his perspective but not his own set of facts. In general, right-leaning headlines also tend to focus on Fox News’s reaction to the president’s criticism.
USAToday published a center-left opinion piece that claims that Trump’s criticism of the network is “too much.” Like the New York Times analysis, the article emphasizes that the job of the media is to inform the public, not to promote a particular individual or ideology. “Media don't work for him,” they write. “They work for everyone.”
From the right
Cavuto to Trump: "I Don't Work For You"; "My Job Is To Cover You, Not Fawn Over You"
Real Clear Politics