Trump has reportedly called Fox News' CEO to fume about the network's coverage
President Trump has apparently been taking his complaints about Fox News all the way to the top.
Trump in recent months has repeatedly railed against his once-beloved news network, and The Atlantic reports on Monday that "on occasions when he's unhappy with the network's coverage, Trump will pick up the phone and call [Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott] to complain." These calls, the report says, "don't tend to go well."
That's because Fox News executives reportedly couldn't care less about Trump's attacks on the network, with the thinking being that he needs them far more than they need him, and they have the "leverage" in this relationship. "I'm not sure she tells him what he wants to hear," one source told The Atlantic of Trump's calls with Scott.
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Trump has targeted Fox News for various reasons in recent months, including the network's polls showing him losing to 2020 Democrats and its hiring of former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile as a contributor. In his latest escalation, the president last month complained after a Fox News interview with the DNC's communications director that the network "isn't working for us anymore," telling his supporters "we have to start looking for a new news outlet."
But one source told The Atlantic that Scott, who has reportedly expressed horror privately at some of Trump's words and actions, doesn't seem "at all concerned," in part because Fox News knows "there's nowhere else for their audience to go."
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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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