AP Photo/Alex Brandon
- President Trump was partly provoked to unleash an angry series of attacks against Fox News Sunday by a live broadcast showing fans celebrating the USA’s victory in the Women’s World Cup chanting "F— Trump," aides told the Associated Press.
- "Fox News is changing fast, but they forgot the people who got them there!" tweeted Trump, and criticized the network’s weekend anchors.
- He was also seemingly angered by the network reporting on a New York Times story exposing the condition of migrant children held in detention centers.
- Trump’s attack took many by surprise, as the network is traditionally one of his administration’s strongest media backers.
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President Trump’s stinging attack on Fox News was partly provoked by the network airing a live segment showing soccer fans chanting "f—- Trump," the Associated Press reported.
According to two aides who spoke on condition of anonymity to the AP, Trump was particularly angered Sunday by a live broadcast by Greg Palkot from the Women’s World Cup in France.
The broadcast showed fans in a Parisian bar celebrating the USWNT’s victory while chanting insults about the president.
In a series of tweets Sunday, Trump unleashed on the network.
The attack took many by surprise as coverage of his administration on the network is overwhelmingly positive and certain hosts even serve as informal advisers and sounding boards for his policies.
"Watching Fox News weekend anchors is worse than watching low ratings Fake News CNN," Trump wrote.
He went on to attack the network for hiring former Democratic National Committee chairperson Donna Brazile as a pundit, and criticize the ratings of network anchor Shep Smith.
Fox News
Another source of his irritation Sunday was seemingly a segment where a New York Times report was used as a hook to discuss conditions in migrant detention facilities, tweeted Matthew Gertz of the liberal watchdog Media Matters for America.
"But Fox News, who failed in getting the very BORING Dem debates, is now loading up with Democrats & even using Fake unsourced New York Times as a "source" of information," he tweeted.
"Fox News is changing fast, but they forgot the people who got them there!"
Trump’s attacks on Fox News are not unprecedented. earlier this year he criticised the network for hosting Democratic presidential candidates for town hall style debates.
Back in 2015, Trump was involved in a long dispute with the network after facing critical questions from former anchor Megyn Kelly in a debate. Reports at the time indicated a divide among the network’s executives over whether to back Trump’s candidacy.
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Source: Business Insider – tporter@businessinsider.com (Tom Porter)