In a stark departure from its once-principled commitment to America’s conservative core, Fox News, in the aftermath of the 2020 election and the Tucker Carlson era, seems to have unveiled a glaring bias against President Donald Trump and rising GOP star Vivek Ramaswamy. The recent introduction of the network’s dubious “power rankings” underscores its desperate efforts to sideline both men.
The so-called “power rankings” by Fox News, without concrete metrics, seem to prioritize candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), even when national polling data paints a different picture. The justification for these rankings remains nebulous at best. Ramaswamy, who pulls a respectable 10% in national averages, has been placed inexplicably below Tim Scott, a candidate polling at a mere 3%. One must wonder what’s driving these “power rankings” if not the numbers.
Trump rebukes Fox News by skipping GOP debate https://t.co/WF3RnuKMfn
— Kelly (@kellytx2) August 22, 2023
Trump’s public rapport with Fox News has undeniably soured recently, with the former president opting out of the network’s Republican primary debate set for Wednesday, further accentuating the chasm between them.
Instead of going to the debate, Trump chose to sit down with Tucker Carlson, once the face of Fox News’ prime-time slot. This new alliance offers both men a way to reconnect with their robust conservative base on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The feud between Trump and Fox News becomes more intriguing when seen against the backdrop of Carlson’s departure from Fox. Once a stalwart defender of Trump’s policies and a vocal critic of the mainstream narrative around the events of January 6, 2021, Carlson faced bipartisan backlash, culminating in his departure from the channel. He has since migrated to X, though without the same nightly reach he once had at Fox.
The tectonic shift within Fox became more evident when Carlson, in internal communications revealed due to the Dominion litigation, displayed overt disdain for Trump. The messages included statements like, “I hate him passionately,” referencing Trump. Such revelations suggest a rift between Fox and Trump internally, as even the channel’s most prominent personalities seemingly played a double game.
Fox News’ “power rankings” and the evident bias it portrays is not merely an attempt to shape the narrative but reflects a broader identity crisis within conservative media. With Trump consistently dominating primary polls, the network’s decision to elevate candidates with less traction appears forced and insincere.
When Fox News stalwarts like Steve Doocy suggest that Trump’s absence from debates might be a boon for Joe Biden, it deviates from the fiery conservative spirit that once marked the channel’s programming. Suggesting that Trump’s absence provides Biden an “out” underestimates Trump’s strategy and misreads the current political landscape.
As we stand on the precipice of another election cycle, the chess game between Trump, Carlson, and Fox News promises more unexpected moves. Yet, through it all, the genuine concern remains the credibility of once-trusted conservative media outlets. When the agenda becomes more apparent than the news they report, discerning viewers are left grappling with the remnants of what was once their go-to source of information.
