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
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges