Posted on 08/05/2015 1:23:15 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
It was only a few weeks ago when media honcho and Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch took to Twitter and asked when Donald Trump was going to stop being an embarrassment to his friends and to the whole country. That exchange elicited a rather negative response from The Donald (who seems to have a team monitoring the entire planet for any time anyone mentions his name and is never shy about firing back) and the situation has been simmering ever since. That seems to have come to an end last week, when Murdoch reached out to the GOP frontrunner for a bit of fence mending.
The two men recently spoke for the first time since Trump entered the presidential race back in June, according to people with direct knowledge of the call.
It was just a phone conversation, not an in-person meeting, but it was cordial and forward-looking, the people said. One person described it as a peace making effort. The call took place about a week ago.
Why does it matter? Because Trump has become the Republican presidential front-runner and a political force to be reckoned with, despite eye-rolling from establishment figures like Murdoch.
At first glance this sounds like more of a tabloid headline featuring Conservative on Conservative violence, but the fact that it was Murdoch doing the reaching out (allegedly) makes me wonder. Rupert is never shy about sharing his opinions to put it mildly, and his Twitter account has never been what you would call a bastion of reserved decorum. He tends to shoot from the hip. His previous comments came at a time when nearly everyone (including yours truly) was writing off Trump as toast and probably wondering whether he was even serious about running. But there have been approximately a bazillion polls too many for people to continue predicting that The Donald would be dropping out any day now and declaring that it was all a big joke.
Trump is going to be at the center podium for the debate this week and very possibly for several debates to come after that, barring some completely narrative changing collapse. (And even then, is there really anything that would make Trump slow down?) Fox News and Murdoch’s other media outlets are the traditional go-to stops for Republican and conservative news makers. Having that level of bad blood hanging around between them could become awkward in the extreme.
But Murdoch is no babe in the woods when it comes to American politics. If he honestly still believed that Trump was just going to flame out and go away I doubt that he’d invest the personal, social capital to reach out in this manner, particularly when pretty much every phone call Trump gets mysteriously makes it into the news in short order with the best spin possible applied to it. (Reince Priebus could likely attest to that.) So does this mean that Murdoch has concluded that Trump is not only in it for the long haul but might actually win the whole thing? He’d certainly know there would be some serious incentive to be on Donald’s good side if that were the case.
So… exit question: Is Murdoch honestly ahead of the curve here and thinking he sees a winner in the making, is he just covering all his bets or is this something else entirely? (Possibilities include the oft discussed theory that Trump is angling for a show on Fox when this is all over which could be a ratings bonanza for Rupert.) You make the call.
Bfl
Murdoch will get in line and behave...unless he wants to be on the outside looking in the window at all those lavish parties that President Trump will have.
Time will tell.Maybe viewership of faux news dropped noticeably and Murdock is trying to shore it up.Faux seems to have executed a 180 in the past few weeks.Well some of the faux people anyway.
Filet Mignon, medium rare, prepared by the White House chef is enticing.
Wow, the way you used “faux” there is just so damn clever and original! I’m so impressed! Not.
it worked for Jeannine Pirro, it will work for Trump during the Cruz presidency.
Trump should have boycotted the debate on Fox, and held a news conference at the same time.
FO
Why would a multi-billionaire who already had a successful show or two run for president just to get a show?
He likes doing shows and getting the attention. And he makes a ton of money if it's successful. 50-100 million a year ain't chicken feed, even to a billionare on paper.
There are VERY FEW people making 50-100 million a year in broadcasting. A few examples: Rush Limbaugh, Oprah Winfrey (when she had a show), Judge Judy and Glenn Beck. Can’t think of any others off the top of my head. Most show hosts make high six figures to low seven figures.
Dr Phil Dr. Phil Host $80 million [2][3]
Charlie Sheen Two and a Half Men Charlie Harper $48 million 2011 [4]
Ray Romano Everybody Loves Raymond Raymond Barone $44 million 2002 [2][5]
Simon Cowell American Idol Judge $34 million [2][6][7]
Judith Sheindlin Judge Judy Judge $30 million [8]
James Gandolfini The Sopranos Tony Soprano $22 million 2007 [2][9]
Other than Dr. Phil none of those reached your $50 million mark.
OK, 30-50 million ain’t chicken feed.
Trump might cut a better deal, maybe make 75 mill/year
Never said it was, but was going by your criteria.
Sometimes one feels compelled to restate the obvious. I commend you for it.
So Trump made 65 million a year, that’s over 50 by my count. But you can go on if you like.
So why would he bother with a presidential campaign to get what he already had?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.