(NewsNation) — Donald Trump’s most important supporter just turned on him.
Rupert Murdoch, owner of the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, The New York Post and London Times, just declared war on Trump. In the shortened words of Joe Biden, that’s a big deal.
Here is Fox’s Chief Political Anchor Bret Baier over the weekend talking about the January 6th committee: “Laying out all of these 187 minutes makes him look horrific. It really does. It’s for everybody to see. And the president’s inaction and the vice president’s action getting on the phone is very telling.”
At first, it looks like Bret the independent journalist bucking the company line. I used to work at Fox — he’s not. That is the new company line.
Within the same weekend, Murdoch’s two American papers wrote in their own voices that Trump’s time has passed.
The Wall Street Journal wrote of Jan. 6: “He didn’t call the military to send help. He didn’t call Mr. Pence to check on the safety of his loyal VP. Instead he fed the mob’s anger and let the riot play out.”
NY Post’s editorial board weighed in with: “As a matter of character, Trump has proven himself unworthy to be this country’s chief executive again.”
Then there is Fox & Friends that ran polling unfavorable to the former president. Remember, long before his campaign, Trump had a weekly call-in slot on Fox & Friends. There he cultivated Fox’s loyal audience. Some 65 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents place trust solely in Fox News.
Murdoch media outlets and Trump engaged in a constant echo chamber of mutual praise. Trump knew that’s where his voters and loyalists got their information. Remember, on January 6th, he watched all afternoon in the West Wing. That’s where he watched the riot.
This is slightly self aggrandizing but it makes the point — during the administration and my time at Fox, people would often send me pictures of Trump watching either after golf or on Air Force 1.
He didn’t watch because of me. In fact, I was one of the anchors at Fox he hated — because I told the truth about him. Now, he’s not happy that Fox & Friends is doing the same.
“@foxandfriends just really botched my poll numbers, no doubt on purpose. That show has been terrible – gone to the “dark side.” They quickly quote the big Turning Point Poll victory of almost 60 points over the number two Republican, and then hammer me with outliers. Actually, almost all polls have me leading all Republicans & Biden BY A LOT. RINO Paul Ryan, one of the weakest and worst Speakers EVER, must be running the place. Anyway, thank you to Turning Point, the crowd & “love” was AMAZING!” the former president shared on social media.
Trump calls it the dark side — truth is the Fox and Friends anchors don’t have a side, they have a boss. And that boss controls the powerful names in conservative media. That boss just publicly told Trump he is searching for a new president.