Roger Ailes is reportedly prepping Donald Trump for the presidential debates

(Image credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

published 16 August 2016

Update 12:57 p.m.: Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks denied that Roger Ailes has a formal or informal adviser role to Donald Trump. Her full statement is here. Our original post appears below.

Fox News founder and former chairman Roger Ailes is helping Donald Trump prepare for the presidential debates this fall, anonymous sources who were briefed on the decision told The New York Times. Ailes resigned from Fox News last month following several public allegations that led to a sexual harassment investigation.

Of the three sources that spoke with The New York Times, two said they believed Ailes' position as an adviser to Trump could continue after the debates. Ailes was a top adviser for Richard Nixon's presidential campaign in 1969 and worked as a political strategist until founding Fox News in 1996. Trump has called Ailes a "very, very good person" and "a friend of mine for a long time." So far, though, the Republican nominee has dodged directly answering if Ailes would indeed join his campaign as an adviser.

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The first presidential debate will take place on Sept. 26, on Long Island in New York.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.