'destructive forces'
Biden labeled Rupert Murdoch 'the most dangerous man in the world,' book says
President Biden privately labeled Rupert Murdoch, chair of the Fox Corporation, the "most dangerous man in the world," a new book reportedly says.
This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America's Future, an upcoming book by Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, reveals several private comments Biden allegedly made about Murdoch and Fox News, CNN reports. The book says Biden "assessed" that Fox News is "one of the most destructive forces in the United States," according to CNN.
It also reportedly says Biden told an associate last year he believes Murdoch is the "most dangerous man in the world." Fox News is described in the book as being home to a "torrent of anti-Biden programming, stoking skepticism about vaccines and disseminating wild conspiracy theories about the January 6 attack."
Biden has not made comments as forceful as these about Fox News publicly, and CNN notes he has never spoken about Murdoch at all. In January, though, Biden was heard on a hot mic calling Fox News reporter Peter Doocy a "stupid son of a bitch" in response to a question about inflation. He later apologized. Last July, CNN reported there had been "regular conversations" between the White House and Fox News regarding its coverage of the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines.
A book from Michael Wolff said last year Murdoch personally approved Fox News' projection of Arizona for Biden during the 2020 election, with Murdoch allegedly declaring of then-President Donald Trump, "F--k him." Fox denied this at the time. "Arnon Mishkin who leads the Fox News Decision Desk made the Arizona call on election night and Fox News Media President Jay Wallace was then called in the control room," a spokesperson said. "Any other version of the story is wildly inaccurate."