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."
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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."
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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.
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