Trump reportedly screamed at Rupert Murdoch over Fox News' early Arizona call
As of Wednesday night, Fox News had one of the most pessimistic maps for the Trump campaign, with the network being one of two outlets to call Arizona for Joe Biden. (The Associated Press is the other.) And you'll never guess who was rumored to be furious that it was his preferred news channel that happened to be the bearer of bad news.
"According to a source, [President] Trump phoned Fox owner Rupert Murdoch to scream about the call and demand a retraction" after Fox's ruling was made just before 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, Gabriel Sherman reports for Vanity Fair. "Murdoch refused, and the call stood."
Biden is still ahead of Trump in Arizona, which has 11 electoral votes, meaning that if he wins the state, he'll be a mere six Electoral College votes away from the winning 270. But as more votes came in from Maricopa County on Wednesday night, Trump appeared to be slowly chipping away at his lead.
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.
Still, "Murdoch has been telling associates for months that Trump would lose the election," Vanity Fair reports. And the network's coverage isn't going over well with the Trump team, which is used to Fox being on their side. "Fox News committed news malpractice and voter suppression last night," former Trump adviser Sam Nunberg vented to Sherman. "There's got to be a change there or there will be major consequences. Chris Wallace wouldn't shut up the whole night! I switched to CNN anytime he came on."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Starbucks workers are planning their ‘biggest strike’ everThe Explainer The union said 92% of its members voted to strike
-
‘These wouldn’t be playgrounds for billionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The 5 best nuclear war movies of all timeThe Week Recommends ‘A House of Dynamite’ reanimates a dormant cinematic genre for our new age of atomic insecurity
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Gaza ceasefire teeters as Netanyahu orders strikesSpeed Read Israel accused Hamas of firing on Israeli troops
-
Argentina’s Milei buoyed by regional election winsSpeed Read Argentine President Javier Milei is an ally of President Trump, receiving billions of dollars in backing from his administration
-
Proposed Trump-Putin talks in Budapest on holdSpeed Read Trump apparently has no concrete plans to meet with Putin for Ukraine peace talks
-
Bolivia elects centrist over far-right presidential rivalSpeed Read Relative political unknown Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator, was elected president
-
Madagascar president in hiding, refuses to resignSpeed Read Andry Rajoelina fled the country amid Gen Z protests and unrest
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Israel, Hamas agree to first step of Trump peace planSpeed Read Israel’s military pulls back in Gaza amid prisoner exchange
