Trump criticises Fox News again over rally coverage, warns of closure risk
Version 2: Two more Korean outlets have now reported the episode, with one naming Fox News presenter Jessica Tarlow as a target of the president’s post and locating one of the rallies in Ohio, and another saying he raised the possibility that the network could close.
In short
US President Donald Trump publicly criticised Fox News on October 4 US time, saying its morning programme “Fox & Friends” did not properly cover rallies he held over the previous two days in Ohio, Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma. Korean outlets reported he warned the network’s ratings would fall, and Chosun Ilbo’s summary said he raised the possibility that it could close. Hankook Ilbo named presenter Jessica Tarlow as another target of his post, while Yonhap reported Fox News has called the recent dismissal of anchor Maria Bartiromo a management decision.
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US President Donald Trump publicly criticised Fox News on October 4 US time, saying its morning programme “Fox & Friends” had not properly covered rallies he held over the previous two days, Yonhap reported from Washington. In a post on Truth Social he said the omission was “sad” and listed rallies in Ohio, Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma. Hankook Ilbo quoted him saying the network had failed to cover “last night’s” rally in Ohio, where he said a huge crowd had gathered and been enthusiastic. [ 1 , 3 ]
Trump said the rallies were “all sold out” and that thousands had tried to get in, and Hankook Ilbo quoted him saying other broadcasters were covering the events very positively. Hankook Ilbo also reported that he publicly criticised Fox News presenter Jessica Tarlow, naming her as a target of his post. Newsis reported in a headline that Trump had attacked the network and a presenter over the non-coverage of his MAGA rallies and expressed displeasure; its readable article text was about an unrelated AI security story. [ 2 , 3 ]
Yonhap reported that Trump described the lack of coverage as a longstanding “undercurrent” at Fox News and warned that his supporters would stop watching if it continued. He said the network would soon record ratings “at the level of fake news CNN or MSNBC”, and warned that Fox News had nearly gone out of business after similar behaviour in the past, “always just before elections”, adding that it could happen again. Chosun Ilbo’s summary said he raised the possibility of the broadcaster closing. [ 1 , 4 ]
According to Yonhap, Trump also criticised the network for spending more time talking to Democratic leaders, naming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and to commentators who criticise him, saying Fox News often did not push back. He asked who makes such decisions there, suggesting it was the same person who fired anchor Maria Bartiromo. [ 1 ]
Bartiromo, described by Yonhap as a former flagship anchor and a Trump ally, was dismissed early last month. Fox News gave the reason as a “management decision”, while CNN and other outlets, as cited by Yonhap, reported that she had wanted to cover Trump’s July address to the nation claiming Chinese interference in the 2020 election, that management blocked the guidance, and that she passed the instructions on to White House officials. [ 1 ]
The post was not Trump’s first criticism of the network in this period: Yonhap and Hankook Ilbo both reported he publicly attacked Fox News on September 30 over its frequent use of Democratic leaders and opposition-leaning commentators. The coverage comes as the US midterm elections approach, with Yonhap reporting that many forecasts hold the ruling Republican Party could lose its majority in both the House and the Senate. The documents report no response from Fox News. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The attacks come as the US midterm elections approach, with Yonhap reporting that many forecasts hold the ruling Republican Party could lose its majority in both the House and the Senate. Korean outlets treat the dispute as notable because Fox News has long been friendly to Trump and its audience is central to his base. The documents give no evidence of any effect on the network’s ratings or coverage decisions.
Key facts
- Trump posted on Truth Social on October 4 US time criticising Fox News for not properly covering his rallies, calling the omission “sad”. [ 1 , 3 ]
- He said rallies held over the previous two days in Ohio, Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma were all sold out and that thousands had tried to get in. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reported that he also publicly criticised Fox News presenter Jessica Tarlow, and quoted him saying other broadcasters were covering the events very positively. [ 3 ]
- Yonhap reported he described the omission as a longstanding “undercurrent” at Fox News and warned that his supporters would stop watching if it continued. [ 1 ]
- He said the network would soon record ratings at the level of CNN or MSNBC and warned it had nearly gone out of business after similar behaviour in the past, “always just before elections”. [ 1 ]
- Chosun Ilbo’s summary said Trump raised the possibility of the broadcaster closing. [ 4 ]
- Newsis reported in a headline that Trump publicly attacked Fox News and a presenter over the non-coverage of his MAGA rallies and expressed displeasure. [ 2 ]
- Trump had also criticised Fox News publicly on September 30 over its frequent use of Democratic leaders and opposition-leaning commentators who criticise him. [ 1 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- US President Donald Trump publicly criticised Fox News over what he said was insufficient coverage of his rallies. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Trump said the rallies he held over the previous two days, in Ohio, Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma, were sold out. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Trump warned that Fox News’s ratings would fall if it continued not to cover his rallies. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Trump had criticised Fox News publicly once before in the same period, on September 30, over its use of Democratic leaders and commentators who criticise him. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Which Fox News presenter Trump attacked. Newsis says only that a presenter was attacked and its readable article text was about an unrelated AI security story; Hankook Ilbo names Jessica Tarlow, while Yonhap instead discusses the dismissal of anchor Maria Bartiromo, and the documents do not reconcile the two.
- The reason for the dismissal of anchor Maria Bartiromo. Fox News described it as a “management decision”, while CNN, cited by Yonhap, reported it followed guidance on coverage of Trump’s July address; the documents offer no confirmation of either account.
- Whether Fox News responded to Trump’s October 4 post. None of the documents report any response from the network.
- The size and attendance of the rallies. The figures — sold out venues and thousands trying to enter — come from Trump’s own post and are not independently reported in the documents.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap publishes its report on Trump’s Truth Social post criticising Fox News for not covering his rallies. [ 1 ]
- Newsis publishes a headline saying Trump publicly attacked Fox News and a presenter over the non-coverage of his MAGA rallies and expressed displeasure. [ 2 ]
- Hankook Ilbo publishes a report naming presenter Jessica Tarlow and describing Trump’s rally at Butler High School in Vandalia, Ohio, the previous day. [ 3 ]
- Chosun Ilbo publishes a summary reporting that Trump expressed displeasure with the network’s morning programme and raised the possibility of it closing. [ 4 ]