Trump reportedly ranks reporters' loyalty on a scale of 1 to 10. Steve Doocy is a 12.
President Trump is reportedly so obsessed with individual news reporters and their coverage of him that he's got a whole ranking system worked out.
Trump, writes The New Yorker's Jane Mayer, "has told confidants that he has ranked the loyalty of many reporters, on a scale of 1 to 10."
This seems to mainly apply to Fox News personalities, with Bret Baier apparently getting a 6. Sean Hannity, naturally, gets a 10. But Hannity is outranked by one of his colleagues. Fox & Friends' Steve Doocy, Mayer writes, is "so adoring that Trump gives him a 12."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hannity will probably be bummed to learn he isn't considered the most loyal Trump supporter at the network, even though he has reportedly told his colleagues he and the president speak on the phone "virtually every night." But Fox & Friends also seems to be Trump's favorite show on the network; one Republican lobbyist told The New Yorker, "Trump gets up and watches Fox & Friends and thinks these are his friends."
This detail comes as part of a larger piece about the blurred lines between the Trump administration and Fox News, and it's apparently not just Hannity and Trump who speak frequently. Fox Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner reportedly talk, according to one source, "like, every day."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Rosalía and the rise of nunmaniaUnder The Radar It may just be a ‘seasonal spike’ but Spain is ‘enthralled’ with all things nun
-
Magazine solutions - November 14, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 14, 2025
-
Israel jolted by ‘shocking’ settler violenceIN THE SPOTLIGHT A wave of brazen attacks on Palestinian communities in the West Bank has prompted a rare public outcry from Israeli officials
-
Catholic bishops rebuke Trump on immigrationSpeed Read ‘We feel compelled’ to ‘raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,’ the bishops said
-
House releases Epstein emails referencing TrumpSpeed Read The emails suggest Trump knew more about Epstein’s sex trafficking of underage women than he has claimed
-
A free speech debate is raging over sign language at the White HouseTalking Points The administration has been accused of excluding deaf Americans from press briefings
-
Newsom slams Trump’s climate denial at COP30speed read Trump, who has called climate change a ‘hoax,’ declined to send any officials to this week’s summit
-
UK, Colombia halt intel to US over boat attacksSpeed Read Both countries have suspended intelligence sharing with the US over the bombing of civilian boats suspected of drug smuggling
-
‘America today isn’t just looking to overcome’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Is Trump a lame duck president?Talking Points Republicans are considering a post-Trump future
-
Trump pardons 2020 fake electors, other GOP alliesSpeed Read The president pardoned Rudy Giuliani and more who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss
