Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:56 pm
It was exactly a year ago today that we heard ‘I am the only one who can make America truly great again’: Donald Trump announces presidential plans and we all laughed. Now we’re either crying or planning to move to Canada. Even less predictable was how the once-proud Fox “News” Network would turn into the Trump News Network.
The best proof of how Fox rolled over for Trump came after he cancelled his Chicago Trump of the Will rally last Friday, after this column had already gone to bed.
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On Saturday Trump started calling the peaceful protesters “disruptors.” By Sunday morning those Foxy Friends on Fox and Friends were also torturing the language by calling them “disruptors.” This is the same way Fox tortures the language with “homicide bomber,” because “suicide bomber” wasn’t strong enough.
But I digress.
Here are Three Ways Fox Whitewashes Violence At Trump Events as Fox Helps Trump Spin His Warning That Riots Will Occur If He’s Not The GOP Nominee. Against all logic Fox ‘News’ Goes All In For Violent Trump Protesters while the rest of the Right-Wing Media Help Rehab Donald Trump As The “Victim” Of Violence At His Events. Why would Fox Hosts Clamor For ISIS ‘Genocide’ Label While Condoning Trump Violence and even Fox Helps Trump Spin His Warning That Riots Will Occur If He’s Not The GOP Nominee? But lookie who didn’t get the memo: Fox’s Jesse Watters Tells Trump To Punch A Protester In The Face as all the other Sunday Political Talk Shows Condemn Trump For Inciting Violence At His Rallies.
Meanwhile, as further evidence of its bias, the Cruz Campaign Accuses Fox News of Bending Its Rules for Donald Trump, while the WashPo asks the musical questions: Is this what the GOP race has come to? Feuding over phone time on ‘Fox & Friends’?
THE STOCKHOLM SYNDROME: As I’ve said before, nothing else explains the Fox “News” reaction to Trump. The better they treat him — the more fawning coverage he gets there — the worse he treats them. A variation of this happens every week:
Trump Again Trashes Fox News
While on Fox: I’m Treated ‘Terribly’
And, a variation of this happens every week:
Donald Trump Goes On Another
Twitter Tirade Against Megyn Kelly
Donald Trump Lashes Out At
Megyn Kelly And Fox News In
A Primary Night Twitter Tirade
Therefore, only the Stockholm Syndrome also explains why, all of a sudden, Megyn Kelly Tells Daily Beast Reporter: It’s ‘A Statement Of Fact’ That Some Mexicans Are Rapists And Murderers. Or, is she just trying to suck up to him when Megyn Kelly [says]: Donald Trump’s “First Amendment Free Speech Rights Have Been Shut Down”?
KELLY: You can bet we’ll hear from Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, who may have a thing or two to say. They’ve already — President Obama has already gone after Donald Trump. In fact, just tonight he went after Donald Trump and unleashed on him. Pretty feisty remarks about him tonight. And so, all eyes for the moment are on Donald Trump and how he handles this situation in Chicago, where his First Amendment free speech rights have been shut down. The right of those to listen to him, and as that one gentleman put it so well, “I just wanted to hear him for myself. I just want to hear him for myself.”
Meggy’s a lawyer and knows better. There is no First Amendment Right to hold a political rally and it would only contravene Trump’s Civil Rights if it were the GOVERNMENT shutting him down. Trump shut down his own rally without consulting with police, who later said they could have ensured a peaceful rally.
But, her disingenuous reporting hardly matters because she’s being rewarded again:
From Cable to Broadcast:
Megyn Kelly Is Getting a
Primetime Special on Fox Network
Fox announced in a press release today that Kelly’s special, set for May 23rd, will “feature a variety of celebrity interviews from the world of politics, entertainment and other areas of human interest.” Kelly will also get to address the year she’s had covering the 2016 presidential election.
[…]
Veteran TV producer Bill Geddie––the man who EP’d The View for 17 years and produced Barbara Walters‘ Most Fascinating People specials––will executive produce Kelly’s primetime special. Geddie was tapped by Roger Ailes himself for the job.
“If you were a tree . . .”
Meanwhile, Megyn Kelly [whines]: I wish Bill O’Reilly defended me more as Fox News Viewers Choose Bill O’Reilly Over Megyn Kelly.
THE TRUMP TANK; PART II: Speaking of Bill O’Reilly, he’s the biggest fish in the Trump Tank, which is why he can’t stop defending himself and/or defending his milkshake BFF Trump.
Erik Wemple summed it up best in Bill O’Reilly: Special on-air Trump campaign adviser:
Hey, credit O’Reilly here. He gave his advice to his friend on national television, as opposed to in a private email or phone conversation. That’s transparency.
Also transparent was O’Reilly’s enduring genius in making Trump, the biggest bully to enter politics in modern memory, appear to be a victim. Addressing protesters at Trump events, O’Reilly said, “You get in trouble when you react. So the proactive forces are coming at you, and then you react and you’ve said some very questionable things like maybe we punch them in the face or something like that.” Poor Trump. Last December, after the candidate talked about barring Muslims from entering the United States, O’Reilly also turned the glare of accountability on Trump detractors: “They’re trying to brand you as a fascist, all right, as a person who would violate human rights, as a bigot, as a Nazi. And they’re hoping that brand will stick, at least in some people’s minds,” said the host.
And the notion that Trump needs to be “baited” into doing anything offensive or distasteful is a hoot. Just who was baiting him to call Mexicans “rapists”? Who was baiting him to attack Fox News host Megyn Kelly as “Crazy Megyn”? Who was baiting him to exaggerate black-on-white crime? Who is baiting him to, well, the list is getting too long at this point.
Other headlines that show what a hypocrite Loofah Lad really is:
Bill O’Reilly defends violence at Trump rally: Those far-left agitators aren’t “victims,” they were asking for it • O’Reilly: MoveOn.org “Incited Violence In Chicago By Urging People To Disrupt The Trump Rally” • Bill O’Reilly: “I Will Not Brand Donald Trump A Racist” • Bill O’Reilly: Protests may make Trump ‘a little sympathetic’ • Trump Tells O’Reilly, ‘I Think I Have Been Restrained’ At Rallies • Bill O’Reilly Warns Donald Trump: Protesters Are Trying To Provoke You • O’Reilly Brings On Trump to Give Him Advice: Don’t Get ‘Baited’ by ‘Radical Left’ • O’Reilly Insists He’s Plenty Tough on Trump: I’m ‘Demonized’ for Treating Him Fairly
Even his regular guest Charles Krauthammer Blasts O’Reilly for His ‘Weaselly’ Defense of Trump, which may be why O’Reilly Tries To Badger Jorge Ramos Into Treating Donald Trump ‘Fairly’ and you can Watch Jorge Ramos destroy Bill O’Reilly for enabling Donald Trump: “As a journalist, you have to take a stand against racism”.
All of this as Dennis Miller Defends Violence At Trump Rallies – Because ‘The Knockout Game’.
Racism much?
THE TRUMP TANK; PART III: Second only to The Falafel King, as Trump’s biggest defender, are the Three Stooges on the Fox & Friends’ Curvy Couch, who allowed him to phone in his Birther BS every Monday for years, long before he even announced for president.
Wayne Allyn Root: GOP Should
‘Thank God’ For Donald Trump
Fox Host: Trump Supporters “Aren’t
The Problem. The People Who
Protest The Event Are The Problem”
Steve Doocy (And “Friends)
Endorses Trump Islamophobia?
On Fox & Friends, Donald Trump Confirms He
Won’t Attend Fox News’ March 21 GOP Debate
Fox News Cancels Republican Debate
After Trump Announces He’s Skipping It
Fox News Excuses For Trump Thuggery –
Yankee At A Red Sox Bar Edition
Gov. Rick Scott refuses to rule
out mob violence if Trump is
passed over as GOP nominee
Fox Analyst Calls Trump Rally
Protester A “Would-Be Terrorist”
THE TRUMP TANK; PART IV: As Friday Fox Follies pointed out when it happened, the first cracks in the Fox “News” facade came when Dana Perino mocked Bully Boy Bolling — to his face — for having his lips firmly attached to Donald Trump’s stubby little fingers. Bolling continues his unseemly licking:
Fox’s Eric Bolling Kicks Michelle Fields
to the Curb for His Buddy Donald Trump
Fox News Reacts to Report
About Michelle Fields Being
Dropped from Bolling Show
From the latter article:
Earlier today, The Daily Beast reported that Bolling’s producer informed Fields that she will not be appearing on Cashin’ In anymore because she can no longer be “impartial” about Trump.
Ain’t that rich? When has Bully Boy Bolling ever been impartial about Trump?
THE TRUMP TANK; PART V:
Hannity Smears Trump Protesters,
MoveOn.org: “This Is Liberal Facism”
Hannity Acquits Trump Of Inciting
Violence Because Al Gore’s Not
Responsible For The Unabomber
THE TRUMP TANK; PART VI: He doesn’t land in this column often, but when he does it’s a doozy. This week Fox’s Neil Cavuto Allows Florida AG To Praise Trump Without Disclosing Her Controversial Past With Trump University. Then he hosted Fox’s Favorite Wingnut Sheriff [who] Encourages More Violence At Trump Rallies. Sheriff David Clarke Tells Trump Supporters ‘Don’t Back Down’ To ‘Goon’ Protesters, as the lawman and Wingnut Sheriff Clarke Urges Trump To Keep His Supporters At ‘A Fever Pitch’.
THE TRUMP TANK; PART VII:
Greta: Media Putting ‘Too Much
of a Spotlight’ on Reporter Being
Attacked by Trump Campaign Manager
Trump Blames Chicago
Protest On President Obama
THE TRUMP TANK; PART VIII; IX; X, ETC:
Fox Guest: Trump Is “Being Victimized” By Violence At His Events • Why Won’t Interviewers Ask Trump About Campaign Manager’s Alleged Assault Of Reporter? • “He’s A Benedict Arnold”: Watch Fox’s Stacey Dash Blast Erick Erickson For His Anti-Trump Campaign • Ben Stein Praises Donald Trump: ‘Let’s Make America Into A Gated Community’ • Ben Stein: “I Have Not Heard A Racist Word” Out Of Donald Trump’s Mouth • Mike Huckabee: Violence At Trump Rallies ‘Is About Left-Wing Thugs’
SCOTUS WATCH: The other big story roiling ‘Merkin politics this week is President Obama’s Constitutionally required nomination of a Supreme Court Justice to replace the already cold Justice Antonin Scalia. As usual Fox “News” defended Republicans while throwing the Constitution under the bus:
Fox Figures Attack Merrick Garland For
Speaking Publicly After Being Nominated
Fox’s Peter Johnson Jr. Says The
Senate Can “Make Their Own
Rules” To Deny SCOTUS Nomination
Fox Anchor Bret Baier Pushes
Judicial Crisis Network Falsehoods
To Criticize Supreme Court Nominee
Bill O’Reilly Says A Vote Merrick
Garland Never Took Disqualifies
Him From The Supreme Court
Fox News Warns GOP: Merrick
Garland Is a ‘Political Trap’
After commending McConnell for refusing to budge on his no vote stance, Andrea Tantaros stopped just short of praising President Obama for his politically savvy pick. Since Merrick Garland “prosecuted right-wing extremists in Oklahoma City,” she argued the Obama is “capitalizing” on division within the Republican Party and predicted that the president will accuse “allegedly violent Trump supporters” of exacting payback for that prosecution.
“He knows that attack is coming,” Tantaros continued. “I believe it is political trap. He’s going to capitalize on division of the right and make himself look reasonable and bipartisan and media will ride shotgun on the entire thing.”
Merrick Garland never had a chance at Fox.
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT’S DUE: Or even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Fox’s Chris Wallace To
Trump: “You Have Condoned
Violence In Rally After Rally”
Fox’s Janice Dean: Trump’s Obsession
with Megyn ‘Disturbing and Not Presidential’
Sometimes people say the right thing for all the wrong reasons:
Ann Coulter Calls Fox News
‘Traitors’ Over Coverage Of Donald
Trump Chicago Rally Chaos
CAMPAIGN CARL CAMERON CAUGHT: It was sad to see my BFF Carl Cameron (who I met in Florida at the Marco Rubio campaign kickoff — BOY! Does that seem like a long time ago already) get egg all over his face after falling victim to a couple of tricksters:
Watch Campaign Trail Trolls Dupe Fox Reporter and Others Into Thinking Trump Supporters Wear Armband:
Later, a very angry Campaign Carl went on Cavuto and admitted he had been hoodwinked even though The Comedians Who Fooled Fox Reporter Today Have Been Pranking Candidates for a While.
CLINTON CONTEST CATCH: There’s still a prize outstanding for the first person to find a positive Hillary Clinton story on the Fox “News” Channel. “Some people say” they may already be a winner with Watch Former CIA Director Michael Hayden Dismantle Fox’s Talking Point About Hillary Clinton’s Comments On Intervention In Libya.
Sorry, that doesn’t count because Hayden is not a Foxite and, more importantly, they had no idea he was going to blurt that out.
This is more like what we’ve come to expect from Fox “News” when they cover Clinton:
Fox News Host Sean Hannity
Says He Will Use His Platform To
Attack Hillary Clinton Every Day
Fox News’ Outnumbered Host:
Benghazi Victims Died At
Hillary Clinton’s Hands
Male Fox Guest: Hillary
Sounds ‘Shrill,’ ‘Like a Cat Being
Dragged Across a Blackboard’
That’s the Fox “News” Clinton Comfort Zone™.
FOX “NEWS” RACISM:
What about the Black Irish?
In all seriousness, it was pretty much impossible to keep the Irish people down because they could simply pass as White. Black folks, except for rarities like Antatole Broyard, did not have that luxury. That’s how Racial Profiling works.
Not to be outdone, Fox’s Gutfeld [said]: Obama Received Political “Immunity” Because He Was “The First Black Candidate”.
FOX NEWS BIGOTRY:
Fox News Celebrates St. Patrick’s
Day With Vomit-Inducing Bigotry
FOX BYTES: Fox News Sunday Hasn’t Hosted A Latina Guest In 3 Years • Fox’s Stuart Varney Sounded Off on Michelle Obama’s New Song and People Weren’t Feeling It • Fox Legal Analyst Calls Himself ‘Constitutional Geek’, Proceeds to Misidentify Author of Constitution • Fox’s Bret Baier Mischaracterizes Potential Climate Probe as ‘Campaign Against Politically Incorrect Thinking’
Headly Westerfield called Donald Trump a dangerous demagogue last July, long before most of the media caught on.
Top photo: Carl Cameron and Headly Westerfield at Rubio campaign kickoff
