It was about a week ago when Fox News released the results of its latest national poll, which, like most recent surveys, included all kinds of discouraging news for Donald Trump and his agenda. The president, predictably, was not pleased.
But instead of simply whining about his unpopularity, Trump went further, suggesting that Fox News should “get rid of” its pollster.
Earlier this week, the president published even more hysterical items to his social media platform, claiming that major news organizations “CHEAT” with their public opinion research. The Republican proceeded to refer to pollsters as “Negative Criminals” (I still don’t know what that means), adding, “These people should be investigated for ELECTION FRAUD, and add in the FoxNews Pollster while you’re at it.”
The next day, the White House’s Stephen Miller appeared on the network, and Fox News’ John Roberts reminded his guest about some of the results from his employer’s latest poll. The presidential adviser didn’t hesitate.
“I don’t want to make things awkward for you, John, but it is our opinion that Fox News needs to fire its pollster,” Miller said. He added that, as far as the White House is concerned, Fox News’ pollster “has always been wrong” about Trump.
Right off the bat, it’s worth emphasizing the fact that Fox News polls — the network’s partisan reputation notwithstanding — have been rather accurate of late.
But I’m also struck by the fact that Trump and his team have complained bitterly about all kinds of media outlets and their polls, but Fox News is the only one that’s been targeted by the president’s and the White House’s public declarations that the pollster should be fired.
It’s a push rooted in an unspoken insult.
In the run-up to Election Day 2024, Trump argued that Fox News “shouldn’t be allowed” to show remarks from his Democratic rival. Around the same time, the Republican also argued that Fox News “shouldn’t allow” Democratic attack ads.
Trump added soon after that Fox News should stop “constantly putting on Liberal Democrats” who end up “nullifying” Republican guests.
We heard related talk during his first term. Around this time six years ago, the president whined online that Fox News was going too far “in covering the Dems,” referring to Democratic presidential candidates. Trump added that Fox News executives should instead prioritize “the people who got them there.”
A Washington Post analysis added that it was a remarkable sentiment because it was “an explicit expression of his expectation that Fox News will at least play down coverage of Democratic issues and candidates, if not shut them out entirely.”
As we discussed at the time, Trump was making clear that he saw Fox News not as a news organization, but as a Republican entity that exists to advance a partisan cause. Indeed, the same week, the then-president insisted that if the network was “putting more Democrats on than you have Republicans,” then Fox News was necessarily straying from what Trump saw as its proper mission.
The Post’s 2019 analysis added that Trump saw a “symbiosis” between the network and his political operation and that the president also expected “Fox News to box out anti-Trump voices in the name of staying true to a group he views as their shared base.”
The more the White House calls on Fox News to fire its pollster, the more we’re reminded that Trump continues to see the network as a political instrument instead of a news organization.