Fox News' Bret Baier was too 'smiley and nice' to Bernie Sanders, complains Trump


President Trump on Tuesday morning sounded pretty upset over Fox News' town hall with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — but not because of anything Sanders said.
Instead, Trump attacked Fox News itself for its Monday event with the 2020 Democrat, saying that "not surprisingly," moderator Bret Baier and the audience were "so smiley and nice," putting the word "audience" in quotes as if to raise suspicion. He also referenced Fox News' recent hiring of former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile as a contributor, calling all of this "very strange."
This tweet, Politico's Anna Palmer points out, was Trump's first time commenting on Sanders at all since February. But other than labeling him "Crazy Bernie," Trump didn't really attack his potential 2020 opponent despite apparently watching it, although perhaps he only saw the clip of the audience being pretty receptive to Sanders' Medicare for All proposal.
Subscribe to 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.
Trump has evidently had his eye on Baier for a while, with The New Yorker reporting in March that the president rates the loyalty of everyone on Fox News on a scale of 1 to 10; Baier only gets a 6 compared to Fox & Friends' Steve Doocy, who gets a 12. Baier responded to Trump's tweet by writing, "Thanks for watching, Mr. President." Brendan Morrow
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.
-
The countries around the world without jury trials
The Explainer Legal systems in much of continental Europe and Asia do not rely on randomly selected members of the public
-
How did the Wagner Group recruit young British men for arson attack?
Today's Big Question Russian operatives have been using encrypted messaging apps to groom saboteurs across Europe
-
The best graphic novels
The Week Recommends These inventive illustrated books will transport you to another world
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin on August 1, with rates ranging from 25% to 40% on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration