Even Fox & Friends thinks Trump listens to the media too much

President Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

President Trump's favorite morning show hosts think he listens way too much to people like them.

On Fox & Friends Monday morning, host Brian Kilmeade argued that Trump "cares way too much about people in the media," noting that the president is "not a candidate" and has "got to make some tough decisions," The Washington Post reports. The hosts had been discussing a back-and-forth between Trump and conservative pundit Ann Coulter, who had slammed him as the "biggest wimp ever to serve as president" after he agreed to re-open the government without receiving the $5.7 billion he has demanded for border wall funding. Trump didn't take kindly to Coulter's comments, saying in a Wall Street Journal interview, "I hear she's become very hostile. Maybe I didn't return her phone call or something."

Trump, of course, may have actually heard Kilmeade's plea Monday morning considering he's known to be a huge fan of Fox & Friends, and the show on many occasions has inspired early morning tweets of his. The hosts generally provide him with favorable coverage, although Kilmeade will break from the president every now and again, like when he called a possible national emergency declaration a "disaster." Kilmeade would apparently prefer, though, that media criticism like this not factor into the decisions Trump makes.

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But with Trump having evidently been highly tuned into what pundits thought of his shutdown decision, going after some individual Fox News correspondents for their responses, it seems unlikely the president will heed Kilmeade's advice anytime soon.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan is a staff writer at The Week. A graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in journalism, he also writes about horror films for Bloody Disgusting and has previously contributed to The Cheat Sheet, Heavy, WhatCulture, and more. He lives in New York City surrounded by Star Wars posters.