Fox News is no stranger to hosting Republican voices. However, during a recent live broadcast of former President Donald Trump’s rally in South Carolina, Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto stopped the segment to fact-check some of Trump’s statements. Cavuto directly addressed some of these claims, which is quite unusual for the usually pro-conservative channel.
Facts Over Opinions
During the segment, Cavuto interrupted Trump mid-sentence during his rally. He quoted the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, saying, “We’ll continue monitoring the President’s remarks, and I mean no offense to him, and some of you continue hearing, but I did have to say that even though the former President is entitled to his opinions, he is not entitled to his own set of facts.”
Addressing the Economy
Following the broadcast, Cavuto corrected several of Trump’s inaccuracies over the economy, gas prices, and the 2020 election results. He said that the stock market’s performance was not simply due to Trump’s actions, despite what the latter said. Instead, he said that changes to interest rates and the rise of artificial intelligence have greatly helped companies.
Cavuto’s Statements on the Economy
Cavuto said, “The market has indeed been going up and having nothing to do with him and everything to do with this aggressive cutting interest rates and then hiking interest rates that stabilized inflation. And, of course, the whole artificial intelligence phenomenon that has benefited and a host of companies that are making money hand over fist. So that’s what you want to give Biden credit for that it has nothing to do with Donald Trump.”
Clarifying Statements
During his speech, Trump also claimed that gas prices are currently $6 a gallon. Again, Cavuto corrected him, as the average price is closer to $3 a gallon. Trump also repeated his claims about the 2020 election being “rigged.” In response, Cavuto spoke about how no investigations have proved this, nor has Trump provided any evidence to support his claims
The 2020 Election
Cavuto said, “This has been adjudicated many, many times; like dozens of times. It’s been investigated by everyone and his and its uncle. No fewer that 44 investigations launched. Some of them by judges picked by Trump himself that found no evidence that in seven battleground states, where most of them were focused.”
Continued Statements
Cavuto continued, “Donald Trump lost each and every one of those states, and no facts – or no history that he mentions on the stump right now – will change that.” Likewise, on Newsmax, the hosts added a disclaimer over Trump’s claims about the 2020 election. It said, “Newsmax as a network believes the [2020 election] results were legal and final.”
Other Interruptions
This is not the first time a Fox News anchor has interrupted Trump to fact-check him. In December, Arthel Neville did the same thing to correct Trump’s statements on the 2020 election. She said, “Well, the former President finally got around to some campaign promises amid lots of cheering, as you heard. Many untruths. The 2020 election was not rigged. It was not stolen.”
Trump’s Boycott Threat Over Debate Coverage
Throughout the 2024 election cycle, Trump has skipped all the Republican debates. He claims that he is unhappy with Fox News’s reporting of his campaign events, which Trump argues has been lacking. He said they have not accurately reported on his Washington and Michigan rallies, nor have they shown him proper support.
Speaking to Bret Baier
During an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, Trump spoke about a number of controversial issues, including the 2020 election fraud claims and his apparent mishandling of classified documents. Trump said he “won in 2020 by a lot,” to which Baier responded by saying, “You lost the 2020 election.”
Mishandling Documents
When asked about his alleged mishandling of sensitive documents, Trump said, “There was no document. That was a massive amount of papers and everything else, talking about Iran and other things. And it may have been held up, or it may not, but that was not a document. These boxes were interspersed with all sorts of things – golf shirts, pants, shoes, all sorts of things.”
Criticism of Fox News
Additionally, Trump has frequently questioned the network’s viewership, claiming that “a lot less” people watch Fox News “than they used to watch it.” He has also said he is “no great fan of Fox,” claiming that he only appeared on it to “get [his] word out somehow.” This comes despite his close relationship with the network during the 2016 election.
Bannon’s Remarks
However, Trump is not the only Republican to share their criticisms of the network. Steve Bannon, a close Trump ally, recently criticized the network during an appearance at the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Like Trump, he claimed that they had not supported Trump enough during his 2024 election campaign.
Less Coverage?
Trump and Bannon’s criticisms are not without merit, as the network has indeed reduced its coverage of Trump. This comes alongside broader MAGA backlash against the network, evidenced by CPAC attendees expressing their displeasure with Fox News. Like Bannon, several CPAC attendants spoke about how they have turned to alternative conservative networks like Newsmax instead.
Fox News Lawsuit
These criticisms of Fox News come after the network settled a $787.5 million lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems. The latter company claimed that Fox News made several false statements over the 2020 elections. Political analysts have said their recent attempts at fact-checking could be a way to prevent such lawsuits from happening again.
After the Lawsuit
Despite the claims, Fox News CEO Lachlan Murdoch continually claimed that the network had not defamed Dominion Voting Systems. He said their decision to pay the settlement fee was a business move rather than an admission of guilt. Murdoch said, “I don’t believe Fox News or any [of] our hosts engaged in any defamation during the whole period, but it was the right business decision.”
Other Lawsuits
However, Fox News is also involved in a lawsuit with another voting software company called Smartmatic. Like Dominion, this company claims that the network made defamatory comments about the quality of voting systems. They specifically targeted certain hosts’ claims that the machines were “rigged” against Trump.
Tucker Carlson’s Departure
In 2023, the network fired well-known host Tucker Carlson, which led to an immediate rating decline for his former time slot. However, Murdoch said this was the perfect opportunity for the network to focus on long-term growth and profitability. Recently, Carlson interviewed controversial Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Carlson’s Controversial Interview
Many people criticized Carlson’s decision to interview Putin, claiming that it was “dangerous” to allow a dictator to have airtime. In response, Carlson said, “I’ve been accused of being pro-Putin, and I’m not. And if I was, that’s OK, too. I’m an adult man, an American citizen, I can like or dislike anyone I want. I can have any opinion I want.”
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