Joe Scarborough says Donald Trump has gone to “war with FOX News.” It is a position he never thought that he would see a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States take.
“Fox News, they’ll get by,” he said Monday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “But I’m just saying, when you have a Republican Party that is that splintered, with Donald Trump dividing it right down the middle, it doesn’t bode well for next year.”
The former president reportedly went on a tirade against FOX and the Wall Street Journal for asking about his age and mental competency.
Jonathan Lemire, Scarborough’s MSNBC colleague, agreed with the power the network has held with Republican voters and pointed out that it hasn’t always had a smooth relationship with Donald Trump.
“That’s a risky bet to make. We know what power they have wielded for such a long time. And it’s true. They were supportive, eventually, of Trump in 2016. They were all in on 2020, and they’ve kind of gone back and forth here like he has.”
Scarborough said that the “risky bet” could be what costs Trump the nomination. Lemire agreed, noting that despite some of his supporters turning on the network, FOX News still remains the most influential news source for the audience likely to vote in the Republican Primaries.
“If he’s turning off some Republicans, if he doesn’t get that full-throated endorsement of Fox News next time around, that could — to your point, Joe — absolutely come back and hurt him,” Lemire said.
