Trump Lashes Out, Blasts Fox News as 'DeSanctimonious Network'
© AP Photo / Michael Conroy / Former President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association Convention in Indianapolis, on April 14, 2023
Subscribe
The attack on the network comes after the former president’s relationship with Fox News soured after the cable channel was the first major network to call Arizona for Trump’s opponent in 2020, President Joe Biden.
Former US President Donald Trump took to his social media site Truth Social on Monday to lash out against Fox News, which he says is “way down in the ratings."
Trump called the network he previously had a close relationship with as the “DeSanctimonious” network, a reference to his nickname for Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who is expected to challenge him for the Republican nomination for president.
“FoxNews has become the DeSanctimonious Network, but it will never work because he doesn’t have the goods. Without my Endorsement, he was a dead man walking. Even with Fox, he’s already pretty close to that again!”
The several post rant, which included a poll showing Trump leading DeSantis by 56 points, also compared Fox News to “the Globalist Wall Street Journal and the now, way down, New York Post,” adding “They are desperately pushing DeSanctimonious who, regardless, is dropping like a rock.”
Prior to the 2020 election, Trump often called into Fox shows. In 2019, he sent 657 tweets about Fox or Fox Business programming, highlighting how the then-president was an avid watcher.
However, the relationship worsened after the 2020 election in response to Fox News' decision to call battleground Arizona for his then rival, Democratic contender Joe Biden.
More recently, Trump has criticized both the network’s $787.5 million lawsuit settlement with Dominion Voting Systems and its surprise firing of host Tucker Carlson in April. Trump echoed those criticisms again on Monday.
“Fox News is way down in the Ratings," he claimed. "After firing Tucker Carlson and refusing to fight against a VERY Corrupt and Rigged 2020 Presidential Election, which just cost them plenty of money, prestige, and RATINGS, they are a far cry from what they used to be.”
The rant came about an hour after Trump posted about Fox News’ rival CNN. The later network hosted a town hall with Trump last week, a move that garnered criticism from the left. Trump again criticized the event’s host as “not exactly [renowned US interviewer] Barbara Walters, or even close,” but said CNN should “take the GREAT RATINGS!”
According to poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight, Trump holds a 52.5% to 21.9% advantage over DeSantis among Republican voters.
