Here’s How Trump May Have Just Killed Fox News By Firing Steve Bannon

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is said to be dreaming of starting a television network that is to the right of Fox News. Bannon has the backing of a billionaire, and any serious competition could be a death blow for Fox News.

Axios reported:
Bannon has told friends he sees a massive opening to the right of Fox News, raising the possibility that he’s going to start a network.

Bannon’s friends are speculating about whether it will be a standalone TV network, or online streaming only.

Before his death in May, Roger Ailes had sent word to Bannon that he wanted to start a channel together. Bannon loved the idea: He believes Fox is heading in a squishy, globalist direction as the Murdoch sons assume more power.

Now he has the means, motive and opportunity: His chief financial backer, Long Island hedge fund billionaire Bob Mercer, is ready to invest big in what’s coming next, including a huge overseas expansion of Breitbart News.

Getting fired from the White House wasn’t a downfall for Bannon, it was a springboard because now that he has worked in the White House on his resume, he can move from right wing media noisemaker to his real goal which is to divide and conquer the Republican Party by setting up a white nationalist platform that is further to the right than Fox News and other established conservative media

Fox News is in a weakened state. The network is reeling from a sexual harassment scandal that continues to mushroom. The Fox primetime lineup has been gutted, and the replacements for Bill O’Reilly and Megyn Kelly have been subpar. The network has been overtaken in many ratings measurements by MSNBC, and the only thing that is keeping Fox afloat is their stranglehold on conservative cable news viewers.

If a serious player comes along to divide that audience, it is easy to imagine Fox News tumbling closer to CNN’s level of audience.

Donald Trump’s firing of Bannon may set into place a chain reaction that will lead to the demise of Fox News. If Bannon stays at the White House, there is no new competition for Fox, but by putting his ego ahead of all else, Trump has exponentially made the woes of his favorite cable news network much worse.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association