Politics1 min read

Trump hammers Fox News, blaming network for GOP losses as ratings slide

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The former president targeted Fox News on Truth Social following decisive midterm losses that handed Democrats control of both the House and Senate. He attributed these defeats to the network frequently hosting Democratic figures, claiming this programming strategy alienated audiences and drove down viewership. Meanwhile, Fox leadership pointed to nationwide political fatigue as October audience numbers dropped 27% year-over-year. Even with falling ratings, parent company Fox Corp. saw revenues climb due to significant political ad expenditures and sports coverage.

Key points

  • President Trump attributed widespread midterm losses directly to the network's editorial…: President Trump attributed widespread midterm losses directly to the network's editorial choice to platform Democratic figures.
  • Fox Corp. executive Lachlan Murdoch linked falling ratings to broader audience fatigue ra…: Fox Corp. executive Lachlan Murdoch linked falling ratings to broader audience fatigue rather than competition from other cable news channels.
  • Political advertising demand generated strong corporate revenue growth despite the networ…: Political advertising demand generated strong corporate revenue growth despite the network suffering significant declines in total daily viewership.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

President Donald Trump turned against Fox News on Tuesday night in a string of posts on Truth Social while Democratic wins rolled in during a historic midterm election.

Trump blamed the network, which he's long championed, for Republican losses, saying in one post on his social media network that it "bears responsibility for these losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Dumocrat opposition."

Democrats took control of both the Senate and House of Representatives, flipping seats in states usually favorable to Republicans, including Texas, South Carolina and Kansas.

Trump also pointed to Fox's recent ratings as evidence of the network's decline.

"FoxNews Ratings are way down (27%!) because they're spending too much time covering the Trump Deranged Dumocrats! All of those people who used to watch Fox, and no longer do, get it. It's them, not me," he posted.

Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a press release last week, Fox News reported 1.1 million average viewers for October, down about 27% from the same month a year prior.

Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan…

Politics