Bret Baier has been a staple at 6 PM ET for Fox News for more than a decade and a half. And he’s defending his journalistic integrity from some critics.
During an appearance at the Innovating to Restore Trust in News Summit, Baier was asked about how the network covers the current political landscape as Donald Trump returns to the White House. He said it isn’t any different than any other time in American history.
“We’ve done stories that are positive (and) negative. I’ve been on the back end of tweets of President Trump. I had a pretty contentious interview the last time — not the Super Bowl one but the one before that. And yes, you cover it both ways. Listen, I want to come away tough but fair. That’s it. And you look at my X account and Sally says ‘You’re so in the tank for Trump’ and Bob says ‘You’re such an anti-Trumper.’ I feel like saying ‘Bob, meet Sally. Sally, meet Bob.’ I’m just going to cover the news.”
Bret Baier was asked if there’s a sense that Fox News is sacred of its audience and if he feels pressure to report favorably to President Donald Trump. He balked at that idea.
“I don’t think we’re afraid of the audience. We respect the audience. More Democrats and Independents watch Fox than any other network. We’ve had our largest ratings boom in the past month. I think it’s crazy numbers. The Five gets 5 million viewers. I’m getting 4 million at 6:00 in the evening. We’re not getting those numbers all because you’re doing things cookie-cutter. Each one of us covers things differently. I just happened to be the news version.”
Fox News finished the second month of 2025 as its most-watched February in network history.
It has been a banner week for Baier. He has secured interviews with French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and is scheduled to have a sit-down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after he and Donald Trump had a fiery exchange in the Oval Office Friday afternoon.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
