Fox News Finally Cuts Back on Trump’s Megaphone During Midterms
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Fox News has largely stopped giving President Donald Trump a live platform for his midterm campaign rallies, signaling a shift in ratings priorities and a long-overdue editorial reckoning within the right-wing network.
President Donald Trump continues to hold rallies ahead of the 2024 midterm elections, but Fox News has finally scaled back its practice of broadcasting these events live on its flagship channel. This programming change marks a significant departure from the network’s previous role as Trump’s propaganda arm, which amplified his divisive rhetoric and boosted ratings during the 2016 campaign and the 2024 presidential race.
Network insiders attribute the decision to declining ratings for Trump-centric segments and a broader editorial realization that the rallies, often filled with misinformation and inflammatory statements, are no longer newsworthy. A current Fox host, speaking anonymously, admitted that “Trump doesn’t rate anymore,” while a veteran Republican strategist observed that even Fox’s audience is losing its appetite for Trump’s endless self-promotion.
Trump, predictably, lashed out at Fox for reducing coverage, using his Truth Social platform to complain that Fox & Friends ignored his recent rallies in Ohio, Alabama, Texas, and Oklahoma, and threatening that viewers might abandon the network. Fox, for its part, has not publicly addressed its programming decisions, perhaps hoping to avoid further alienating Trump’s shrinking base.
Media analysts note that Fox’s business remains profitable despite the shift, and that even more extreme right-wing outlets like One America News are now the ones providing full live coverage of Trump’s rallies. Fox did stream the San Antonio rally online and mentioned it briefly on its morning show, but otherwise gave it little attention, signaling a clear move away from its past Trump-centric programming.
This shift highlights a broader realignment between the former president and the cable news giant, as Fox attempts to reposition itself in response to changing audience metrics and the need to distance itself from Trump’s toxic brand ahead of the upcoming elections.