Posted on 08/25/2015 10:25:52 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Just flagging this so that we have an easy point of chronological reference for The Day Fox’s Trump Coverage Changed.
The truce is over.
I liked The Kelly File much better without @megynkelly. Perhaps she could take another eleven day unscheduled vacation!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2015
"@bigpaulfla: @realDonaldTrump She has come back looking like Nancy Grace"
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2015
"@mstanish53: @realDonaldTrump @megynkelly The bimbo back in town . I hope not for long ."
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2015
Roger Ailes allegedly warned Trump two weeks ago that if he didn’t lay off Kelly, he and the network would “go to war.” Well, here you go. War.
It's been 19 days since the debate- @realDonaldTrump has made his feelings clear. But THIS needs to stop http://t.co/8BmVPZTGdp #let-it-go
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) August 25, 2015
i like @realDonaldTrump but his personal & professional attacks on @megynkelly r unwarranted-unacceptable- has 2 stop- @foxandfriends
— Brian Kilmeade (@kilmeade) August 25, 2015
Easy, Mr. Trump. http://t.co/NhSd8KqeH4
— Bill Hemmer (@BillHemmer) August 25, 2015
This needs to stop. #unpresidential @megynkelly @nypost @realDonaldTrump http://t.co/82V47GhgTE
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) August 25, 2015
Wish pal @realDonaldTrump would cool feud with @megynkelly Point is made boss. Now world needs you to use bully pulpit to address big issues
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) August 25, 2015
It’s going to be weird when Hannity hosts his next “Trumpmania! The New American Revolution” special and can’t invite the man himself on to comment. Anyway: Why’d Trump restart this fight? I can think of two explanations and the one you prefer will depend on whether you think Trump operates largely via unthinking ego or wily media savvy. Explanation one: It’s pure hubris. He’s soaring in the polls, he’s (sort of) filling football stadiums with devotees, and he’s the hottest ticket on cable news. He could pick up the phone at any time of day or night and instantly get put on the air on CNN, MSNBC, or Fox. Maybe he figures he’s so bulletproof right now that he can take on Roger Ailes, the most powerful man in conservative media, and win. What’s the worst that can happen? If Fox cuts him off, he’ll spend the next six months doing daily call-ins on CNN and MSNBC about what a loser network full of overrated losers Fox is.
Explanation two: It’s all part of his anti-establishment game. Trump’s core message to Republican voters is that powerful interests, including and especially interests that are ostensibly allied with them on the right like the GOP leadership in Washington, aren’t really looking out for them. On the contrary, those interests routinely sell out the concerns of their base in order to please their wealthy benefactors. Immigration is the ultimate example. A war with Fox will slide easily into that narrative. Apart from a few Trump loyalists like Hannity, he’ll say, Ailes and his network have been bought and sold by the same donor-class losers who are backing Bush and Rubio. They’re an establishment outfit that shouldn’t be patronized by conservatives who want “real change” in Washington. Fox’s leverage against an antagonist like that would normally be to cut him off entirely, but like I say, Trump’s the biggest name in media right now. He doesn’t need Fox to get a TV megaphone. And if Fox takes him on by cutting coverage of Trump way back and unleashing its hosts to excoriate him, it’ll only seem to prove Trump’s point that the network has an anti-populist agenda (with Trump himself being the avatar of populism in this formula). He’ll be frozen out of Fox forever as a guest, in all likelihood, but he’s already lost various media jobs in the course of running for president. What’s one more?
Exit question: How will Ailes play this? I think Inside Cable News is right that it’ll be a “slow play” strategy where Trump’s coverage gets gradually rather than dramatically reduced to make it harder for Trump to claim that he’s being blackballed.
Update: War?
ROGER AILES statement on @megynkelly and @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/VzAHl0KVOq
— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) August 25, 2015
Update: Full-court press from the Foxies:
My friend @realDonaldTrump has captured the imagination of many. Focus on Hillary, Putin, border, jobs, Iran China & leave @megynkelly alone
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) August 25, 2015
“I watched an interview with Meg and Senator Cruz. Her contempt was palpable. She was hideous and her inward ugly was on display”.
If Trump fades and Cruz start polling higher than Jeb look for Faux News to attack him the same way they have viciously attacked Trump. Faux News is in the tank for their favorite RINO and his name is Jeb Bush. No one else stands a chance, with the exception of RINO Kasich. He’ll the only candidate allowed to overtake Jeb Bush without Faux trying to destroy him.
Trump is not the president right now, anymore than Bathhouse Barry was the president when he referred to Sarah Palin as a pig with lipstick on during the 2008 primaries.
No troubles, all good!
it seems like Lindsey is trying to come off as a tough gal over her home turf.
Your post #66 gets TWO THUMBS UP from me. Well stated and TRUE.
To me people like Lindsey are the symbol of the types of people who populate D.C. Of course there are so many so alike it’s hard to choose.
Puts her fake outrage at Trump’s name-calling of women in perspective.
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.