Ahead of a GOP primary debate, former President Donald Trump lambasted Fox News and its anchor Bret Baier, expressing his dissatisfaction on the Truth Social platform.
What Happened: According to The Hill, Trump criticized Baier and Fox News on Truth Social on Wednesday. This occurred just before Fox News was set to air a Republican presidential primary debate, which Trump had decided not to attend.
In his post, Trump took issue with Fox News’ coverage of GOP primary polls, labeling Baier as a “RINO,” an acronym for Republican in Name Only. He maintained that he was leading President Biden in “almost all polls”, despite RealClearPolitics’ recent polls suggesting otherwise.
Trump also claimed to lead the Republican field by 50 points, contradicting recent polls that showed him leading by at least 40 points. The former president expressed his annoyance with Fox News for not posting or discussing these poll results. Instead, he opted for an interview with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Why It Matters: This incident is not the first time Trump has shown displeasure with Fox News’ coverage of the GOP primary. He previously expressed dissatisfaction with the network’s coverage of his rivals, despite his participation in several town halls with Fox opinion host Sean Hannity.
Trump’s decision to not participate in the GOP primary debates has been a subject of discussion in recent times. Earlier he justified, he justified his decision by stating the public already knew his identity. There was also a warning from the GOP Chair that Trump’s absence from the debate could set a precedent for Biden for future 2024 debates.
Despite this, Trump chose to sit for a pre-recorded interview with Tucker Carlson, which was seen as a potential opportunity for Carlson to demonstrate the potential of a deeper partnership with Elon Musk's team controlling X.
The Republican National Committee Chair, Ronna McDaniel, has suggested that Trump's absence in the debates might be a part of the candidates’ 2024 election strategy.
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