Trump Blames Fox News for GOP Midterm Defeats as the Network’s Right-Wing Machine Faces More Scrutiny
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President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to fault Fox News for Republican losses in the midterm elections, accusing the network of pushing coverage that flatters Democrats while alienating viewers. Fox’s ratings fell sharply in October even as the company posted strong revenue and advertising growth.
President Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform on Tuesday to lash out at Fox News, claiming the network bears responsibility for the Republican losses in the midterm elections. He argued that Fox’s coverage of Democratic opponents has driven viewers away, pointing to a reported 27% drop in Fox News ratings for October and framing the decline as proof that the network has lost touch with its audience.
Fox News did not immediately comment on Trump’s statements. The network’s October average viewership was reported at 1.1 million, down about 27% from the same month a year earlier. Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch attributed the decline to “viewer fatigue” ahead of a midterm election with a second-term president, adding that the audience was not shifting to competitors such as MS NOW or CNN.
MS NOW and CNN both posted double-digit gains in primetime viewership for October compared with a year earlier, though their total-day audiences remained smaller than Fox News’s. Nielsen data cited by Fox showed MS NOW averaging 588,000 viewers and CNN 402,000 in October.
Despite the viewership dip, Fox Corp. reported a strong fiscal first quarter, describing it as an “outstanding start to fiscal 2027.” Revenue rose 22% year over year to $4.57 billion, driven by a 47% increase in advertising revenue, which Murdoch linked to robust political advertising and coverage of the FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Trump, who has frequently criticized media outlets he perceives as biased, has generally maintained a more amicable relationship with Fox News, appearing on the network’s “Hannity” program shortly before the election.