According to a post on his characteristically spastic Twitter account, Donald Trump is done with Fox News.
The real estate mogul, once a frequent guest on the network, said he will not appear on its shows for the foreseeable future.
.@FoxNews has been treating me very unfairly & I have therefore decided that I won't be doing any more Fox shows for the foreseeable future.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2015
Fed up with questions and perceived criticisms lobbed at him by Fox's pundits, Trump has been increasingly critical of the conservative-leaning cable network since the second GOP presidential debate. He had already spent half the summer slamming Megyn Kelly, host of The Kelly File, over questions she asked during the first debate. Leading up to Trump's boycott declaration, he was putting Kelly in the crosshairs once again.
I think @megynkelly should take another eleven day "unscheduled" vacation.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2015
Do you ever notice that lightweight @megynkelly constantly goes after me but when I hit back it is totally sexist. She is highly overrated!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2015
Over the past 24 hours, Trump has tweeted or re-tweeted numerous critical statements about the network.
"@glendabelle_11: @FoxNews Fox has become a supporter of Liberals!They are Not supporting the GOP candidates-especially Trump! Quit watching
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2015
The "announcement" on Twitter comes just as Trump has ramped up his criticism of Bill O'Reilly. The popular Fox News pundit pressed Trump on his immigration policies and foreign policy experience during interviews on The O'Reilly Factor this summer.
"@coolgirl6978: @oreillyfactor @FoxNews this is bull fox. O'Reilly, I expect better from you. What is going on? Fair and balanced my ass"
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2015
Trump often appeared on the network in 2011 and 2012, when he openly declared his suspicions about President Barack Obama's birth certificate. The "birther" movement theorizes that the president was born overseas. As Trump's biographer Michael D'Antonio chronicles in Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success, at that time the network was more amenable to Trump, then a non-candidate, giving him a platform from which to espouse his conspiracy theories about the president.
As D'Antonio's book explains, Trump has a history of slamming TV personalities who disagree with him. When David Letterman accused him of racism in regard to the birther movement, Trump wrote the late-night host a letter stating his disappointment:
"Based upon your statements, and despite the fact that we have always done so well together, especially in your ratings, I am canceling my May 18th appearance on your show."
Roger Ailes, Fox's CEO, might receive a similar letter. The Donald may have just made enemies with his former ally, but at least he can still count on radio host Michael Savage's support.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Martinez is a writer from Great Falls, Montana. He attended Stanford University, where he studied the Classics and received ... Read more
